There were 24,209 officers and soldiers attending this parade. The parade commander Zhu De reviewed the PLA navy, army and air force accompanied by Nie Rongzhen. Zhu, on behalf of the Chinese government, made speeches on issues of the Korean War and the Taiwan straits, calling on the PLA to make preparations for war and to be ready to fight at any time.
After the parade, 400,000 people from all walks of life in the capital held a grand demonstration. The celebration lasted for three hours and 25 minutes, showing the international community the determination of the Chinese government and the Chinese people to show no fear to their enemies and to secure China resolutely. 19 days after this parade, the Chinese People's Volunteers were ordered to the DPRK, striding over Yalu River with high spirits, joining the Korean People's Army to carry out a deadly struggle with the so-called “UN forces” lead by the US.
(China.org.cn, CCTV August 13, 2009)
