China reveals its most advanced nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-41, at the National Day parade in Beijing on October 1, 2019. Photo: Fan Lingzhi/GT

BEIJING, China (Global Times) — A grand military parade and a mass pageantry marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were held in Beijing on Tuesday that featured the country’s most sophisticated weaponry and spectacular performances, while patriotism and pride swelled among Chinese as they celebrated the country’s seven decades of achievement under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech before the military parade on the Tiananmen rostrum.

No force can ever shake the status of China, or stop the Chinese people and nation from marching forward, Xi stressed.

China’s yesterday had been inscribed in human history while China’s today is being created in the hands of hundreds of millions of Chinese people, Xi said, adding that “China will surely have an even brighter future.”

All Party members, armed forces and people of all ethnic groups should unite more closely together, stay true to the founding mission, build on existing achievements and continue to develop our people’s republic, Xi said, adding that continued efforts should be made to achieve the two centenary goals and national rejuvenation.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the People’s Armed Police Force should always preserve their nature, purpose and character as the forces of the people, resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, and firmly uphold world peace, Xi noted.

After the speech, standing in a black open-roof Red Flag limousine, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, gave the order to Yi Xiaoguang, commander-in-chief of the military parade, to start the review.

Advanced military weapons from the PLA made their public debut. The scale of the parade was greater than those commemorating the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the PRC founding, including the V-Day military parade in 2015.

Tuesday’s parade featured 59 phalanxes, 15,000 people, 168 aircraft, and 580 weapons and military equipment. It was the largest in recent years.