BEIJING: President Xi Jinping said “no force” can shake the Chinese nation in a speech Tuesday (Oct 1) to mark the opening of celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule in Beijing.
Standing on the Tiananmen Rostrum where Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China on Oct 1, 1949, Xi extolled the “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation – his grand vision of restoring the country to perceive past glory.
“There is no force that can shake the foundation of this great nation,” Xi said, wearing a “Mao suit” as he stood alongside party leaders in Tiananmen Square.
“No force that can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead,” the country’s most powerful leader since Mao said before riding in an open-roof car to review troops.
Authorities in Beijing have closed roads, banned the flying of kites, and even ordered pigeons to be caged amid tightened security for the invitation-only event to celebrate China’s journey from war-ravaged country to the world’s second-largest economy.
New weapons – including a hypersonic ballistic nuclear missile capable of breaching anti-missile defences to reach the United States – were rolled out across the tarmac.
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. Invoking Mao’s memory, Xi made his speech Tuesday on the same spot as the former leader’s 1949 declaration.
