China announces September military parade to mark end of WWII

The parade on Sept. 3 will see President Xi Jinping inspect troops in Tiananmen Square, according to Wu Zeke, an official at China's military commission.

The Kremlin has said Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend, and Chinese officials said other world leaders are also expected to take in the scene.

The commemorations will feature ground troops marching in formation, armored columns, aerial echelons and other high-tech fighting gear, Wu told a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.

State news agency Xinhua said the event would also show off "new types of combat forces, including unmanned, intelligent equipment".

Officials did not specify which weapons would be showcased but said they would include Chinese-made, high-precision equipment ready to fight the "battles of the future".

The parade would help to rally the entire country in shared patriotic spirit around the party and Xi, and bring "the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" even closer, Wu said.

At the 70th anniversary parade in 2015, China held a 70-gun salute as thousands of troops marched in tight formation through Tiananmen Square.

Tanks and missiles followed, while nearly 200 aircraft performed a flypast in powder-blue skies.

Chinese authorities mobilized hundreds of thousands of spectators, closed roads across much of the city center, shuttered airports, and curtailed pollution-spewing factories and vehicles to ensure blue skies.