<![CDATA[What military hardware will go on show for China's 70th anniversary parade?]>

There may be still six months to go but preparations are already well under way for a vast military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

And while the National Day display on October 1 will be a traditional show of advanced military muscle, the weaponry on show will be chosen carefully to avoid ruffling the feathers of the United States as the two tussle over trade, according to sources close to the Chinese armed forces.

One military insider said a list of dozens of weapons had been submitted to the country's leadership to consider for inclusion in the parade, and the final arrangements would depend in some part on relations with the US.

"Preparations have already begun and rehearsals for the parade have been held in several training bases on the outskirts of Beijing since January," the source said.

"At the same time, a weapons list with 50 to 60 items has been drawn up and submitted to the Central Military Commission for review.

"If the relationship with the US improves in the coming months, then [President Xi Jinping who heads the CMC] is likely to go for a less aggressive show of force in the parade."

Han, who oversaw preparations for a massive display of military hardware two years ago in Inner Mongolia for the 90th anniversary of the PLA, said that all units, including the rocket and strategic support forces, were already going through their paces in readiness for October 1.

"The National Day parade will not just focus on any one branch of the PLA," he said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing on Friday.

"It is a comprehensive demonstration of all our troops and weapons from all our different branches."

But Han would not be drawn on specifics on how the two events would compare. When 12,000 troops assembled at the Zhurihe Combined Tactics Training Base in Inner Mongolia in 2017, the PLA rolled out some of its most advanced weapons, including new tanks, DF-31AG mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), various fighter jets and bombers.

He said parades were part of the PLA's regular training to strengthen its "war readiness" and some of the personnel were so tired from live-fire drills in the lead-up to the Zhurihe parade that they almost collapsed when it was all over.

"We are good at organising military parades " we've staged over a dozen big military parades in Tiananmen Square over the years," Han said.

"Some of my foreign friends asked me how could we command so many soldiers and weapons in a parade. And I told them it's a secret ... We test our soldiers' responses and discipline through their performance in the parades, which are part of our combat readiness requirements."

"There is a lot of hi-tech equipment that has been put into service by the PLA but only a small number will be shown in the parade. It is unlikely that cutting-edge weapons, especially those strategic items such as the hypersonic glide vehicles or electromagnetic rail guns, will be on offer so as not to upset countries like the US and some of our neighbours," the second source said.

"To make the parade grander and more spectacular, Beijing will show some tactical conventional weapons, including new-generation main battle tanks and, and automatic rifles.

"One of the purposes of that is for our patriotic education."

One of those tactical weapons could be the DF-41 ICBM, which can carry multiple nuclear warheads and potentially hit any targets on the US mainland. The DF-41 did not make an appearance at Zhurihe, even though its warhead capacity is greater.

"The multiple warheaded DF-41 missiles look bigger [than the DF-31AGs]," Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming said.

"If Beijing is going to show DF-41 ICBMs, it's mainly because the US has upgraded its missile defence network with China as a potential target, including its deployment of THAAD on the Korean peninsula," Zhou said, referring to a system of sophisticated radar and interceptor missiles designed to spot and knock out incoming ballistic missiles.

Another likely inclusion in the event is the army's new Type 15 lightweight battle tanks, according to a military source who visited a parade training base in Yangfang township on Beijing's outskirts.

"I saw many new generation Type 15s in Yangfang," the source said.

The Type 15 entered service in 2017 and was spotted near China-India border later in the year during a stand-off between the two countries. It is part of the PLA's drive to improve combat ability in high-altitude areas, and is significantly lighter than the Type 99A, the PLA's another advanced main battle tank in service.

Senior colonel Huang Xueying, who oversaw gun testing for 2009 National Day parade, said last week that organisers were still studying and testing which types of automatic rifles would be demonstrated in the parade.

While the final weapons selection is still up in the air, a decision has been made on the parade "spectators".

A Beijing civil servant said many military and government organisations, as well as some middle schools in the capital had finished choosing the staff and pupils who would line the route.

A military source said formal rehearsals would start few months ahead of the day.

"The weather in Beijing is so cold now. You will see soldiers and students practising marching when spring comes," the source said.

Additional reporting by Kristin Huang

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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