Tanks and missile launchers rumbled past the Tian'anmen Square on Thursday as China marked its victory in World War II with a military parade underlining the "actual combat" capability of its weapon systems.[Special coverage]
Armament formations were arranged for the first time based on their actual combat roles. The ground formations included modules for ground combat, air defense and missile defense, maritime attacks, strategic strikes, communication support, and logistics and armament support.
The strategic strikes part, for example, has displayed the top-class missiles of the Second Artillery Force, China's strategic missile force, including long-range, medium-range and short-range missiles as well as conventional and nuclear missiles.
In previous parades, the armament formations were only distinguished as ground armament formations and air echelons.
Analysts said it is in line with the "combat ready" principle, required of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission.
"This indicates a change of the PLA training strategy; with more focus on actual combat," said Peng Guangqian, deputy secretary-general of the Council for National Security Policy Studies.
In September last year at a meeting with PLA chiefs of staff, Xi said headquarters of all PLA forces should improve their combat readiness and sharpen their ability to win a regional war in the age of information technology.
The ten air echelons were formed into airborne early warning and control aircraft, bombers, fighters, carrier-based aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and others.
