Ordinary Chinese warned to stay away from huge anniversary parade

SHANGHAI — Beijing is making sure it won't rain on its 60th anniversary parade, but it still won't let anyone come.

Chinese newspapers say even more effort is being made to prevent showers or fog from spoiling the big day on Oct. 1 than was expended to ensure sunshine for the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The air force is sending up 18 aircraft to chemically "disappear" clouds over the capital and 48 "fog-dispersal vehicles" will be stationed around the city, primarily at the airports where the military fly-passes will originate, according to the official Global Times newspaper.

It means everyone in Beijing should be able to see — and hear — the aircraft roar overhead, but they'll have to watch the rest of the parade on television.

When asked if ordinary citizens could come and join in the celebration of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, watch as the parade makes its way along Chang'an Ave. to Tiananmen Square, a spokesperson at the 60th anniversary press office said: "No."

Invitations, accreditation or special passes are de rigueur for anyone who wants to get near the parade route or the gala show and fireworks later in the evening. Even people who live along the route have been warned not to come out on their balconies to watch the festivities. They are allowed to look out of their "closed" windows, but have been advised they will get a better view on the television.

Hotels along the route still have rooms available, but that is probably because they are being forced to tell prospective guests they will not be able to enter or leave the hotel premises on parade day.

It's been 10 years since the last big military parade in Beijing, 10 very significant years that saw China move from a struggling economy to the world's third largest in terms of GDP.

The progress it has made will be evident in the parade.

It sounded almost benign when Defence Minister Liang Guanglie said what the world would see on Chang'an Ave. was "a mighty force, a civilized force, a victorious force."

His was a less than fulsome description of the "52 types of new weapons systems," more than 150 aircraft, 540 tanks, armoured vehicles and weapon carriers and almost 5,000 foot soldiers taking part in the parade.

Asked if all this muscle-flexing could be construed as a "show of force," Liang told reporters Wednesday lots of countries celebrated special anniversaries with military parades.

"Whether a country's military power is used as an intimidation doesn't depend on the strength of its military power, but mainly depends on what policy that country adopts."

The general said China was "dedicated to building a consistently peaceful and unanimously harmonious world."