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China prepares on eve of celebration of Japan's World War II defeat

By Doug G. Ware
Chinese tourists visit Tiananmen Square, which is being decorated for the upcoming military parade commemorating the end of World War Two, in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. China will showcase its military might with a massive military parade as the country takes a three-day holiday to commemorate the defeat of Japan in 1945. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
Chinese tourists visit Tiananmen Square, which is being decorated for the upcoming military parade commemorating the end of World War Two, in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2015. China will showcase its military might with a massive military parade as the country takes a three-day holiday to commemorate the defeat of Japan in 1945. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The streets of Beijing are preparing for a major event Thursday morning, which will promote the country's military might in celebration of Japan's defeat in World War II.

About 12,000 soldiers, 200 airplanes, tanks and other military equipment will be part of the big parade at the capital's Tiananmen Square, BBC News reported Wednesday.

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State-sponsored media reported that about 80 percent of the equipment displayed in Thursday's celebration have never before been seen by the Chinese public.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the parade, along with dozens of foreign heads of state. Among them are Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Other nations will also be watching, albeit from a greater distance, around the world.

The United States and Britain, as well as Australia and Japan, have declined invitations to attend -- with Washington sending only an ambassador.

"The fact that the Western-North Atlantic guest list is so slim shows that these powers are concerned by the parade as an endorsement of China's growing military strength, and my guess is that this has overwhelmed the historic element of the commemoration," Chinese history expert Rana Mitter told the Los Angeles Times.

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China has held similar military parades only a handful of times in the last half century, and Thursday's will be the first to commemorate the end of World War II 70 years ago.

Earlier this year, China surpassed Germany to become the world's third-largest arms supplier, the BBC News report said.

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