European leaders have been thrown into a diplomatic quandary by an
invitation from China to a military parade marking the 70th anniversary
of the end of the second world war.
The September 3 display, in which heavy weaponry is likely to feature, is set to pass by Beijing’s symbolically resonant Tiananmen Square, where tanks rolled in during a bloody massacre in 1989.
Diplomats are wary of lending international credibility to an event that could be read as an effort to parade Chinese military strength rather than commemorate war dead.
They also fear accepting the invitation would be seen a taking sides with China — for most a key trading and investment partner — over Japan.
The parade will mark “Victory Day of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression”. China often uses the legacy of the war to criticise Japan, and objects to Japanese politicians’ visits to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo.
So far Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only foreign leader whose acceptance has been announced.
“China and Russia, as two main battlefields in the second world war in Asia and Europe, have made important contributions to victory in the war and the defeat of fascism and Japanese militarism,” Hong Lei, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said last week. “They made huge sacrifices.”
Japan’s foreign ministry said it had not received an invitation. It declined to comment on whether a Japanese leader would attend. Mr Hong would not specify which countries had been invited, saying only that “preparations are ongoing”
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Most European leaders have already decided not to attend a May 9 Russian parade marking the end of the war in Europe, because of Moscow’s support for the conflict in Ukraine.
Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, plans instead to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow the following day, along with Vladimir Putin. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Russian parade, according to Mr Hong.
Many capitals have yet to decide how to respond to the Chinese invitation.
“There will be great reluctance to attend [at a senior level], especially if it appears designed to upset Japan,” said one European diplomat.
The dilemma is likely to leave Europe divided. EU countries were unable to agree a common position on Moscow’s planned parade and some countries have resorted to asking that military attaches wear civilian clothing rather than uniforms if they accept the Russian invitation.
The UK has been able to sidestep the issue because of its pending general election.
China has floated the idea of a ceremony at the Marco Polo bridge southwest of Beijing, which could also antagonise Japan. A 1937 skirmish near the bridge is considered the starting point of the war in mainland China.
The war in Asia ended on August 15, 1945 when the Japanese emperor announced the surrender to allied forces on national radio. The formal surrender on a US battleship in Tokyo Bay took place on September 2, prompting celebrations that began in China the next day. On September 9 Japanese troops in China surrendered to the government in Nanjing, then capital of republican China.
The September 3 display, in which heavy weaponry is likely to feature, is set to pass by Beijing’s symbolically resonant Tiananmen Square, where tanks rolled in during a bloody massacre in 1989.
Diplomats are wary of lending international credibility to an event that could be read as an effort to parade Chinese military strength rather than commemorate war dead.
They also fear accepting the invitation would be seen a taking sides with China — for most a key trading and investment partner — over Japan.
The parade will mark “Victory Day of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression”. China often uses the legacy of the war to criticise Japan, and objects to Japanese politicians’ visits to a controversial war shrine in Tokyo.
So far Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only foreign leader whose acceptance has been announced.
“China and Russia, as two main battlefields in the second world war in Asia and Europe, have made important contributions to victory in the war and the defeat of fascism and Japanese militarism,” Hong Lei, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said last week. “They made huge sacrifices.”
Japan’s foreign ministry said it had not received an invitation. It declined to comment on whether a Japanese leader would attend. Mr Hong would not specify which countries had been invited, saying only that “preparations are ongoing”
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Most European leaders have already decided not to attend a May 9 Russian parade marking the end of the war in Europe, because of Moscow’s support for the conflict in Ukraine.
Germany’s chancellor, Angela Merkel, plans instead to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow the following day, along with Vladimir Putin. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Russian parade, according to Mr Hong.
Many capitals have yet to decide how to respond to the Chinese invitation.
“There will be great reluctance to attend [at a senior level], especially if it appears designed to upset Japan,” said one European diplomat.
The dilemma is likely to leave Europe divided. EU countries were unable to agree a common position on Moscow’s planned parade and some countries have resorted to asking that military attaches wear civilian clothing rather than uniforms if they accept the Russian invitation.
The UK has been able to sidestep the issue because of its pending general election.
China has floated the idea of a ceremony at the Marco Polo bridge southwest of Beijing, which could also antagonise Japan. A 1937 skirmish near the bridge is considered the starting point of the war in mainland China.
The war in Asia ended on August 15, 1945 when the Japanese emperor announced the surrender to allied forces on national radio. The formal surrender on a US battleship in Tokyo Bay took place on September 2, prompting celebrations that began in China the next day. On September 9 Japanese troops in China surrendered to the government in Nanjing, then capital of republican China.
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