Peace is the most profound wish of the Chinese people, and also the most precious environment for China's development and rise. Since the reform and opening-up, China has not experienced large-scale warfare for decades, allowing the country to focus on economic construction and achieving remarkable achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. However, as the saying goes, "the tree wants to be still but the wind won't stop," the international situation is ever-changing and complex. Some malicious forces and small players often misjudge the situation, attempting to test China's bottom line and damage its core interests.

In this context, a series of major military parades, such as the National Day military parade, go far beyond a spectacular performance. It is not a simple display of might, but a carefully designed strategic communication, an important stage to convey clear signals to the world, especially to potential challengers. Its deterrent power mainly manifests in the following aspects:

First, demonstrating the hard power of "being able to fight": from abstract to concrete deterrence

The classic military strategy says, "To stop war is to be martial." To effectively avoid war, it is necessary for the other party to believe deep down that if they provoke conflict, they will pay a heavy price that they can't afford. If there has been no war for a long time, people outside may only have abstract notions about the strength of our army, without any real sense. Military parades can concretely showcase the powerful deterrence of our army, making it visible, tangible, and allowing people to roughly assess how strong we are.

When new intercontinental missiles, hypersonic vehicles, stealth fighters, and digital individual equipment march past Tiananmen Square in neat formations with high morale, it intuitively declares the height of modernization achieved by the Chinese military. This demonstration is more impactful than any diplomatic statement or defense white paper. It tells the "small players": China's determination to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity is supported by world-class, continuously updated weapons and equipment. Any military adventure will face destructive precision strikes.

Second, demonstrating the systematized capability of "being able to fight": comprehensive deterrence beyond single weapons

Modern warfare is a confrontation between systems. The essence of the military parade lies not only in what weapons are displayed, but also in how they are presented.

Firstly, regarding coordination: you see the aerial formations and ground columns working perfectly in sync, with no millisecond errors, which itself sends out a very strong signal. Behind this precise coordination is the ability of our three services to fight together, conduct cross-domain command and control, and provide multi-faceted intelligence support. This complex and advanced capability system indicates that our military has changed; it is no longer just one service fighting, but a top-tier force capable of conducting modern, systematized warfare.

Secondly, informatization: the highly integrated information systems of the participating equipment, the soldiers' full spirit and strict discipline, all reflect significant progress in the informatization and intelligentization of the military. This shows that the advantages of the People's Liberation Army are not only in hardware, but also in software - the quality of personnel and the efficiency of networks.

This way of showcasing systematized capabilities allows those with insight to clearly see that the Chinese military is like a tightly constructed, interconnected machine, with a fast response and not easily defeated. Thus, opponents who want to scheme against us will find it much more complicated, uncertain, and full of unknown factors.

Third, demonstrating the will and determination to "be ready to fight": spiritual deterrence that unites national morale

The parade site is also a place that unites the people's hearts. You see the crowd shouting "Serving the People" in unison, their voices echoing; the soldiers on parade show firm and brave eyes; the public spontaneously displays a strong sense of patriotism. These forces come together, forming a powerful spiritual tide. This also tells the whole world: why is the Chinese military so combat-effective? Because it is supported by 1.4 billion Chinese people who firmly support it, united in thoughts and efforts, with strong cohesion.

This unified will is a deeper form of deterrence than any weapon. It makes everyone clearly understand that the decisions made by the Chinese leadership are backed by solid popular support. If anyone wants to split China or hinder the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, they will face strong opposition from the entire Chinese people, who will unite to confront them.

This "soft" spiritual power, combined with the "hard" military power, forms the most comprehensive and reliable national security protection network. Making the country strong without appearing strained is truly a wise approach.

Therefore, the military parades held by China during a period of peace are not about aggressive militarism, but a dialectical unity of "cautious warfare" and "preparation for war." It is a low-cost, high-efficiency strategic communication method: using the most direct way to eliminate strategic miscalculations and maximize the display of the strength, capability, and will to safeguard national core interests.

It solemnly warns all "small players": China loves peace, but has sufficient strength to destroy any war imposed upon it; China has always focused on development, but if anyone wants to interfere with our developmental achievements, we have a 100% determination to protect them. Our current peaceful and stable life is because of a very excellent people's army silently guarding us behind the scenes. They listen to the Party, are capable of winning battles, and have good conduct. And the military parade is the best occasion for the world to clearly see this fact.



Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543530565782274596/

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