Beijing: About 1,000 foreign troops from Pakistan and 16 other countries will participate in a massive military parade in September to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, highlighting China's growing clout.
Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Serbia, Tajikistan and Russia have dispatched formations to march in the parade on September 3, said Qu Rui, deputy chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Each formation consists of around 75 people. Another six countries -- Afghanistan, Cambodia, Fiji, Laos, Vanuatu and Venezuela -- sent teams of around seven people each, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
Thirty-one countries, including France and Republic of Korea, have also promised to send high-level military delegations, Rui said.
China has invited large number of countries including India to take part in the parade. The foreign troops will be grouped alphabetically according to their country names, and will follow PLA foot formations in the parade.
While India will not take part in the parade, officials say that Minister of State for External Affairs, General (Retd) V K Singh will join along with other dignitaries to watch the parade and participate in the reception.
Although China has so far held 14 military parades to mark National Day, the parade next month will be the first commemorating the anniversary of the end of WWII as Beijing seeks to nail Japan to highlight the excesses of the Japanese troops.
The political significance of the event made a number of countries to adopt a guarded approach considering their relations with Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed "deepest remorse" and "sincere condolences" to Japan's wartime victims but China says that it falls short of apology.
Japanese government has scorched rumours that Abe may be visiting China on September 3. A Japanese official said in Tokyo that there is no such proposal.
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