The paradox behind China’s military parade

When Beijing staged its largest military parade in a decade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the pageantry was carefully choreographed. DF-41 intercontinental ballistic missiles and J-20 stealth fighters in a flex of military confidence abroad and reassurance at home.

Once reliant on Soviet imports and fragmented production, China has consolidated its capabilities into vertically integrated conglomerates: AVIC in aviation, CASIC in missiles and space, CSSC in shipbuilding and CETC in electronics.

These state-owned enterprises now sustain a PLA Rocket Force with “survivable” ICBMs, a PLA Air Force with fifth-generation fighters and a PLA Navy boasting over 370 hulls, the largest by count worldwide.

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