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Live Reporting
By Anna Jones, Andreas Illmer, Flora Drury and Joshua Cheetham
All times stated are UK
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The day China became communist
(On 1 October) , Communist Party leader Chairman Mao stood in Tiananmen Square announcing the creation of the People’s Republic of China. That very first parade was somewhat different from what we’re in for today – back then, there were a mere 17 planes the victorious troops could muster for the flyby.His victory followed a bitter civil war between the nationalists and the communists.
Former soldier Zhu Zhende was 19 when he took part in the parade that marked the momentous day. He spoke to the BBC’s Witness History program about the optimism and excitement he felt during that time.
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Video caption: In 1949 Chairman Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People’s Republic of China(In) Chairman Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People’s Republic of China -
Bauhinias, blood and black flags in Hong Kong
Tessa Wong
BBC News, Hong Kong
Some people protesting here in Hong Kong are waving tiny black versions of the Chinese flag, or a bloody Bauhinia, the symbol of Hong Kong.
The color black is seen as a reference to how democracy has died, as well as the “evilness” of the Chinese government.
(BBC)Copyright: BBC
China at 70: What you need to know
How is National Day marked in Taiwan?
Cindy Sui
BBC Taiwan Reporter
For Taiwan, the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) National Day is usually barely noticed. Even the 70 th anniversary will not be a big deal here on the island, which has been ruled separately from the mainland since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
That’s because, for the Nat ionalists or Kuomintang (KMT) who retreated to Taiwan after being defeated by the Communists, it’s a day that symbolises the shame of losing one’s country,
Meanwhile, for the longtime Taiwanese – those whose ancestors settled in Taiwan as far back as the 1600 s – the founding of the PRC coincided with the beginning of direct rule over Taiwan.It was a period marked by martial law and the White Terror , in which an estimated 140, 000 people were imprisoned, and around 3, 000 to 4, 000 were executed on suspicion of being anti-government or pro-Communists.
So on this day, Taiwan’s media is more focused on a typhoon hitting the island than on this significant turning point in history.
Read more:BBC’s Taiwan profile
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Rival protesters in Hong Kong
Protests are building now in Hong Kong, but earlier this morning, a small group of pro-democracy act ivists were out, condemning Beijing for the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. They encountered a group of pro-Beijing protesters singing the national anthem, as captured in the video below shot by our BBC Chinese colleagues Meiqing Guan and Zhijie Shao.
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Video caption: Hong Kong march on National Day ‘Revolution of our times’
(Tessa Wong) *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************) BBC News, Hong KongA river of protesters is flowing down the narrow streets of Causeway Bay here in Hong Kong, flanked by the tall skyscrapers and shopping centers .
A torrent of slogans rings out in the streets as the protesters stretch out open palms. “Five demands, not one less”. “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times.”
Suddenly the crowd stops in its tracks, we ‘re not sure why. Some begin running as a mild current of panic ripples through the crowd. Then others shout “it’s ok”. After a few uncertain minutes the march resumes. A brief reminder of how beneath the festive atmosphere runs an undercurrent of tension and fear of things suddenly going south.
Read more on this:Why are there protests in Hong Kong?
(BBC)Copyright: BBC
Marches begi n in Hong Kong
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Video caption: Tanks on show in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, during Tuesday’s military parade If you’re just joining us, welcome to our live coverage of China’s 70 th anniversary of being a Communist country.
I’m afraid you’ve missed the remarkable spectacle that was the enormous military parade – vast numbers of troops marched through Tiananmen Square and China showed its full array of weaponry, from gyroscopes to nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The parade there is now over, and the world’s attention is turning to Hong Kong, where yet more protest events are getting under way. National Day always sees anti-Beijing events in Hong Kong, but given the political climate this year, they could be very sizeable today.
Growing regional unease
Jonathan Head
(BBC South East Asia Correspondent)
(continued)
But China’s embrace of its South East Asian backyard gets only a qualified welcome.
Its assertion of sovereignty over islands in the South China Sea is challenged, vigorously by Vietnam, less so by the Philippines. Anti-Chinese sentiment is especially strong in Vietnam, forcing the fellow-Communist government to tread a delicate line in relations with its powerful northern neighbor.
But there has been growing unease in Indonesia and Malaysia too over Chinese-funded infrastructure, countries where the success of the ethnic Chinese business class has long stirred local resentment.
Asean encourages the engagement of other powers like the US, Japan and India, to counteract China . South East Asia hopes to accommodate and benefit from Chinese power, without becoming overdependent on it.
Read more on this:
China and South East Asia
Jonathan Head
(BBC South East Asia Correspondent)
For hundreds of years, China referred to warm and resource-rich region of South East Asia as Nanyang, the “south sea”, and millions of Chinese migrated there in search of work and commercial opportunities.
But the turbulent politics in China prevented it exercising much sway in SE Asia, until the end of the 20 th Century. In this century though, its influence has risen, to the point where it is broadly viewed as the regional superpower whose interests cannot be ignored.
Chinese trade and investment now dominate the small Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states Cambodia and Laos. China is the biggest trading partner for Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and a growing source of funding for infrastructure, through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Governments in Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines have openly pursued closer diplomatic and military
China’s nuclear deterrent on show
(Alex Neill) *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************) International Institute of Strategic StudiesCGTNCopyright: CGTN
Let’s have another look back at the military display we saw earlier. Pictured here is the JL2 missile which can be launched from China’s Jin class submarines, tasked with mounting seaborne deterrent missions and helping to ensure China’s second strike capability.
In order to mount nuclear deterrent patrols, these subs need to be able to leave their base in Hainan, transit the South China Sea and penetrate the “first island chain” into the Pacific Ocean. This might help to explain the significance ofChina’s new bases in the Spratlyislandswhich could serve as a bastion to protect the Jin Class submarine patrols.
(CGTN)Copyright: CGTN
The DF 26, pictured above, is described as an anti-ship ballistic missile that can carry either a conventional or nuclear warhead. This is dubbed a “carrier killer” and designed to prevent an intervention by the US in military theaters of strategic importance for China (like the South China Sea).
These kind of missiles have prompted a debate about the vulnerability and utility of big, Cold War-style battle carrier groups but also whether US territories and bases like Guam for example are increasingly exposed to China’s ballistic missile arsenal.
The world’s ‘economic miracle’
Virginia Harrison
Singapore
(Getty Images)Copyright: Getty Images
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Today’s celebrations come at a tricky time for China’s economy. Growth is slowing as appetite for Chinese goods eases, it tries to boost demand at home, and remains locked in a long-running trade war with the US.
But let’s not forget China’s remarkably short rise to become one of world’s greatest economic powers.
(Less than) years ago it was desperately poor and cut off from the world. A series of historic market reforms transformed China’s economy, opening up trade routes and investment flows – and ultimately pulling hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
“From the end of the 1970 s onwards we’ve seen what is easily the most impressive economic miracle of any economy in history, “says David Mann, global chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank.
Balloons released over Tiananmen
Copyright: Reuters
We’ve just seen 70, 000 balloons released over Tiananmen Square. And there’s some justice for pigeons – 70, 000 pigeons have been released too. That’s a lot of pigeons.
The balloons look lovely, but perhaps Beijing didn’t get the memo about their environmental impact?
The environm ent is actually a pressing issue for China. In pursuit of economic growth it has caused massive pollution, generated staggering amounts of waste and has fundamentally rebuilt vast swathes of countryside, with projects like the Three Gorges Dam.
China doesn’t tolerate protests, but climate and environmental issues are one of the few issues we hear about where the public do get angry. And President Xi has repeatedly said the government is committed to a more ecologically-sound future for the country.
” How bad can it reall y be?
(John Sudworth) **********China Correspondent, Beijing
()Copyright: Getty Images
New visitors to China are often, rightly, awe-struck by the skyscraper-fes tooned, hi-tech megacities connected by brand new highways and the world’s largest high-speed rail network.
“How bad can it really be?” The onlookers ask, reflecting on the negative headlines they’ve read about China back home.
The answer, as in all societies, is that it depends very much on who you are.
In exchange for stability and growth, they may well accept – or at least tolerate – the lack of political freedom and the censorship that feature so often in the foreign media.
But in the carving out of a new China, the knife has cut long and deep.
More from John:The deep cuts of (years of Communist rule
‘Diversity’ on display
Copyright: CGTN
Earlier, we saw 56 guns being fired to represent the number of different officially recognized ethnic groups in China.
Now, as part of the civilian parade, China wants to showcase its diversity by having performers from its different regions on display. Each of these colorful floats represents one of China’s regions and its people.
What’s not on show is that these ethnic groups have to fit into the tight structures that Beijing dictates. Xinjiang’s Uighurs or the people of Tibet – represented today – are probably the best-known examples of this.
‘I love China, but I can ‘t say that any more’
Hong Kong has been boiling with anti-Beijing protests and sentiments – and we’re expected to see more of that today. But one neighborhood has chosen to embrace China instead.
North Point is home to a Fujianese community loyal to the Chinese Communist Party, and has even seen violent clashes where residents have fought with demonstrators.Last week my colleague Grace and I spoke to one North Point local, who also happens to be a protester. He told us how his love for China has now become much more complicated.
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Video caption: Hong Kong protests: ‘I can’t say I love China any more’ Celebrations – but not for all
OK let’s pause a moment to draw breath, and if you’re just joining us , welcome. We’re bringing you live coverage of the massive celebrations taking place in Beijing to mark the 70 th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China – or 70 years of China as a country run by the Communist Party.
China has good reason to celebrate – it has gone from being a poor, undeveloped nation to the second -largest economy in the world, and from being almost wholly shunned to being a major player on the world stage.
But there are millions who will not be celebrating China’s rise – among them those wrongly jailed under a justice system with a close to 100% conviction rate, the more than a million Uighurs detained in what China says are “training camps”, and the relatives of people who have died resisting communist rule , not least those who died in the 1989 Tianamen Square uprising, right where today’s celebrations are taking place.
Catching a glimpse
John Sudworth
China Correspondent
A massive security operation has seen barriers, manned by police officers, put up across dozens of roads. On the edge of the wide cordon covering much of the city center small crowds have gathered.
From here they can only see the fly-by – craning their necks and holding phones aloft, a long way from the tanks and marching troops on the parade route where their country history is being celebrated.
(BBC)Copyright: BBC
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Catching up with the US
Alex NeillInternational Institute of Strategic Studies
Following my earlier comments about the PLA’s drive for intelligent warfare, I was struck by the appearance for the first time of two new sleek, futuristic and frankly rather menacing looking unmanned aerial vehicles, and one large unmanned underwater vehicle.
Intriguingly, neither of these were marked with designators. The WZ-8 is described as a high altitude drone and is believed to be a supersonic reconnaissance and command and control platform. The other “Sharp Sword” bat wing shaped stealth drone is believed to be capable of aircraft carrier launch.
On the naval front what appears to be a new underwater drone labeled HSU0 01 was on show – described as being able to mount deep water reconnaissance.
These kind of technologies are “leap frog” platforms, demonstrating that China can match the US stealth and hypersonic capabilities in very short periods of time. This begs the question of how China has acquired the kind of military technologies that are the most highly classified in the US military inventory.
What have we seen so far?
As the people’s parade gets under way, let’s quickly recap some of that hardware that’s been on show.
Copyright: CGTN
Image caption: This is what the scene looked like from above – with tanks rolling around Tiananmen Square in front of China’s leaders, past and present. Copyright: CGTN
Image caption: This is China’s Sharp Sword drone, a stealthy batwing-shaped drone designed to be launched from aircraft carriers. Copyright: CGTN
Image caption: This here is something that’s not been previously on display and has pundits somewhat puzzled. Our guest expert today, Alex Neill says it looks like a large underwater drone. China’s eyes watch soldiers’ legs
(Reuters)Copyright: Reuters
Growing up in China, National Day was always a big part of life. Not only did it mean a week-long holiday, the exuberant celebrations across the country reminded everyone how lucky we were to be living in the “best period of all times”.
When I was still in school, this time of the year was marked with the likes of choir competitions and speech contests. The topic was always the same – “I love my country”.
This has been the 15 th National Day military parade since the People’s Republic of China was founded 70 years ago. Unlike China-watchers who keep track of China’s new, high-tech weapons, the Chinese people are always obsessed with how soldiers lift their legs to the same level and march with precision. It is a display of the discipline of the army and a reminder of the growing power of the country.
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