China’s grand parade emphasises a reworking of history

After a lavish display of Chinese military muscle in Beijing Rana Mitter assesses the future path of the Eastern colossus.

The grand parade in the centre of Beijing to commemorate the end of the Second World War in China highlighted two contradictory narratives, both immensely important for understanding the country’s future path.

The first story is about China’s newfound strength. In the past two decades of rapid economic growth, China’s military budget has increased sharply —– last year by more than 12%.