President Xi Jinping on Thursday issued an order of commendation to all the army officers and troops that took part in a massive military parade staged in central Beijing earlier the day marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.[Special coverage]
The paraded forces from the People's Liberation Army and Armed Police have impressed those at home and abroad with "the heroic will to carry forward the great spirit seen during the resistance against Japanese aggression and the will to realize the Chinese Dream and the dream to build a strong army," according to the order of commendation.
They also showcased new accomplishments made in areas of national defense and military construction and the Chinese military's determination to safeguard state sovereignty, security, benefits and maintain world peace, said the decree.
The order of commendation called on the entire army to learn from those taking part in the parade and make use of the successful experience, as well as to turn enthusiasm into actions and a sense of duty.
Xi, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, reviewed the country's armed forces for the first time on Thursday as China's top leader.
Some 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of equipment and nearly 200 aircraft were paraded at Tian'anmen Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
It was the first Chinese military parade marking any anniversary of the war and the first with foreign military participation. Twenty-three heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, attended the event.
