China's parade of arms sends strong message

From an upgraded, nuclear-armed missile with near-global reach, to air defence lasers, hypersonic weapons, and sea drones that could crowd its near seas, China sent a broad message of deterrence with its largest ever military parade on Wednesday. Military analysts and diplomats saw China’s leader Xi Jinping using the event to signal a diverse group, from the United States and its allies, to neighbours and regional powers India and Russia, as well as potential buyers of technology, reported Reuters.

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“For all the operational questions that surround some of these new elements, China was sending a message of technological advance and military strength on all fronts - there is a indeed a lot for rival defence planners to get their heads around,” said Singapore-based security analyst Alexander Neill.

For the first time, China displayed its full nuclear triad of weapons that can be deployed from land, sea and air, including a retooled intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-5C, with a range of 20,000 km (12,400 miles), and a new road-mobile long-range missile, the DF-61.