China's grander parade

Yesterday was the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. A grand parade was held in the capital city of Beijing, led by the People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force, showcasing some of this country's latest achievements in defense modernization.

This is the usual way nations mark their important days in the modern world. Chinese citizens, who are told by their older generations of the atrocities of the foreign concessions and invasions in the early 20th century, take due pride from their government's much heightened capability to protect citizens' lives and interests.

Over the past century, there has been no lack of schemes to break China apart. A multi-ethnic nation that occupies an extensive land area, though it had remained in this world for a long time, has been taken as a strange and unacceptable phenomenon by its detractors who, several times, seemed to have nearly created a fait accompli or quite a threat for the Chinese central government.