Chinese soldiers have begun closed-door training sessions to prepare for National Day parade on October 1st to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of new China. Speaking on the sideline of the NPC session, the parade's commander-in-chief said on Monday it would include China's top military equipment.

Lieutenant General Fang Fenghui, commander of the Beijing Military Area Command, said soldiers taking part in the parade will present "a most splendid and distinctive grand ceremony to the world."

Lieutenant General Fang Fenghui, commander of the Beijing Military Area Command, said soldiers taking part in the parade will present "a most splendid and distinctive grand ceremony to the world." The parade chief also said the ceremony would include China's most recently developed military equipment to showcase the country's progress in its national defense power.

Fang Fenghui, Commander of Beijing Military Area Command, said, "According to the parade's schedule, soldiers from land forces, the marines, the air force, and the 2nd Artillery Command will all attend the ceremony. Advanced military equipment will certainly be one of the parade's highlights, but not all. The parade will definitely bring surprises to the people of the nation."

Fang added that the troops and military equipment to be presented during the parade would not be revealed in public before October 1st.

He stressed that while the parade would be a grand occasion, it would be produced on a budget since China now faces serious challenges from the financial crisis.

The parade will be held on October 1st to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It will involve more arms and weapons than all previous parades, according to a release from the Central Military Commission last month.

(CCTV March 11, 2009)