China In Show Of Force On WWII Anniversary

China has put on a huge show of military might with a parade commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

More than 12,000 troops have marched through Beijing's iconic Tiananmen Square as part of a major display marking China's victory over Japan.

They were accompanied by an array of cutting edge military equipment including ballistic missiles, tanks and armoured vehicles, as fighter jets and bombers flew ahead.

For China's leaders, the event not only serves as a welcome distraction from the country's economic woes, but also provides an opportunity to show off Beijing's growing military prowess.

According to Chinese state media, more than 80% of the military equipment on display had never been since in public before.

Nevertheless, President Xi Jinping used the ceremony to reassure neighbours that China's rise is peaceful. He announced a cut of 300,000 troops from China's 2.3 million-strong People's Liberation Army, the world's largest standing military.

"The experience of war makes people value peace even more," Xi said in a speech at Tiananmen Gate.

"Regardless of the progress of events, China will never seek hegemony, China will never seek to expand and will never inflict the tragedies it suffered in the past upon others."

Sky News' Asia Correspondent Katie Stallard, who is in Tiananmen Square, said Beijing has pulled out all the stops to make the event as flawless as possible.

Factories, construction sites and the city's two main airports have been closed to guarantee clear blue skies in the normally smoggy city.

Security is also extremely tight, with roads closed for miles around as international dignitaries and journalists were bussed into the area under escort.

According to one Chinese newspaper, monkeys were used to clear birds' nests from trees along the parade route.

It has also been reported that residents who overlook the route have been warned not to look out of windows.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir - who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court - are among the high-profile foreign leaders in attendance.

However, most western leaders, wary of China's display of military might amid lingering tensions in the South China Sea, have chosen to shun the event.

China has insisted the parade is designed to commemorate the sacrifices made during WWII and is not aimed at modern Japan.

"For decades, when people in Western countries talk about WWII, they usually refer to the battles on the European continent and have little knowledge about China's role as the major oriental theatre of the war," state news agency Xinhua said in an English-language commentary this week.