China holds military parade in Beijing

Over 12,000 soldiers and hundreds of tanks, ballistic missile launchers, amphibious assault vehicles, drones, fighter jets, helicopters and other military equipment participate in a massive parade marking the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II in Beijing on September 3, 2015. Presiding over the extravaganza, President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader in decades, said that China would remain committed to "the path of peaceful development" and unexpectedly vowed to cut 300,000 troops from its 2.3-million strong military - the world's largest. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI