China's Communist Party celebrated its 70th anniversary in power with a parade Tuesday showcasing the country's economic growth and newest weapons, Daily Mail repots.
The nationally televised event opened with a military honor guard carrying the Chinese flag through Tiananmen Square, the country's symbolic political heart, before thousands of spectators who waved flags. Artillery guns fired a salute.
President Xi Jinping, wearing a gray Mao jacket, and other Chinese leaders, including former Presidents Hu Jintao and Jiang Zemin, watched from atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace at the square's north end.
The event marks the anniversary of the Oct. 1, 1949, announcement of the founding of the People's Republic of China by then-leader Mao Zedong following a civil war.
The parade through central Beijing is due to include 15,000 troops and more than 160 aircraft.
The event is the country's most important of the year as China looks to project an image of confidence in the face of mounting challenges, including nearly four months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong and a economy-sapping trade war with the United States.