On Wednesday, Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square provided a stage for a historic moment: troops with United Nations peacekeeping experience marched together for the first time in a V-Day parade marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in World War II.
Under the Peacekeeping Force Formation, these service members were reviewed along Chang’an Avenue, also known as the Avenue of Eternal Peace. Their presence underscored Beijing’s promise to uphold international obligations and safeguard world peace.
In his address, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said: "Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation, win-win cooperation and zero-sum game." He pledged that the Chinese people would stand on the right side of history and work with partners worldwide to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
China is the largest troop contributor among permanent UN Security Council members, dispatching over 50,000 peacekeepers to more than 20 countries and regions across 26 missions in the past 35 years. In 2024, its assessed contribution reached 18.69%, surpassing the combined shares of the United Kingdom, France and the Russian Federation.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, under-secretary-general for UN Peace Operations, praised China’s role as "significant, constructive and helpful" ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
Since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, China has never provoked a war, occupied another nation’s territory or waged a proxy conflict. It remains the only nuclear-armed country to commit in its Constitution to no first use of nuclear weapons.
At the parade’s climax, servicemen and women chanted in unison: "Justice will prevail! Peace will prevail! The people will prevail!" Three helicopters carrying banners with the same words then flew overhead, reinforcing the call for harmony.
More than 20 foreign leaders, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and the top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, attended the commemoration. Xi concluded by urging all nations to treat one another equally, choose cooperation over confrontation, and eliminate the root causes of conflict.
Reference(s):
Choosing peace: China's V-Day message to the world is loud and clear
cgtn.com
