Asian giant is 60 years tomorrow:

China celebrates its global power

China at a glance

* Peoples Republic of China founded on Oct. 01, 1949.

* Worlds largest population.

* Worlds largest Army with 2.3 million soldiers.

CHINA: China will celebrate 60 years of communist rule Thursday with lavish festivities showcasing the Asian giant’s dramatic transformation from global pariah to diplomatic, economic and military power.

The Communist Party, firmly in control since the founding of the People’s Republic on October 1, 1949, will seize the moment to glorify its achievements and promote national unity at a time when social and ethnic unrest is mounting.

The celebrations will highlight China’s path from near-isolation when Mao Zedong addressed the masses at Tiananmen Square, to success as the world’s third largest economy, 30 years after Deng Xiaoping opened the door to capitalism. The People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest with 2.3 million soldiers, has for a year prepared for Thursday’s parade, a once-a-decade event that will be scrutinised by foreign armies concerned about Beijing’s military buildup.

General Gao Jianguo, a military spokesman, said the PLA would “maintain its glorious tradition of frugality,” but the costly display of hardware, likely to include new intercontinental ballistic missiles, will be a huge show of force.

More than 50 new and “100 percent China-made” weapons, including missiles, high-tech radar and other support systems will be on offer a symbol of the “quantum leap” Beijing says it has taken in boosting its capabilities.

“This is meant to show the world that China can indeed back up its increasing diplomatic and economic power,” Arthur Ding, a PLA expert at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, told AFP.

BEIJING, Tuesday, AFP