PLA well prepared for National Day celebrations

Members of the People's Liberation Army who will join the military parade on the nation's 70th anniversary celebrations on Oct 1 said they are well prepared and confident for their appearance on National Day.

"This year's parade training follows a scientific schedule and the results are good. We are very confident," said Lieutenant Zhang Bingjian from the peacekeeping force.

Zhang, as well as some other parade members, took interviews Wednesday morning with domestic and foreign journalists as part of a reporting tour ahead of the National Day celebration.

The interviews were co-organized by the press center for the celebration of PRC's 70th anniversary, Central Military Commission's political work department, and the Ministry of Defense information bureau.

It will be the second time that Lieutenant Zhao Ying, an honor guard, joins a military parade. She said she was a member in the formation during the parade in 2015, but this time she is a commander and shouldering more responsibility.

Zhao said all parade members follow the same training schedule – five days a week and eight hours each day.

"There is only the difference of gender in the training ground," she said, adding that everyone follows the same training intensity and have to meet the same standards of marching, such as each step being 75 centimeters wide.

She said there were some difficulties at the beginning of training in terms of female personnel's physical endurance.

"After long-term training with a scientific training plan and effective support, we have the confidence and determination to accomplish this mission with high quality," she said.

According to Zhang, it will be the first time that China sends a peacekeeping force to participate in the parade at the request of the United Nations.

He said the formation will also represent the other 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby force and that marching in front of Tiananmen Square will demonstrate a peace-loving and responsible image of China.

Xue Jianbing, another officer of the peacekeeping force who took part in peacekeeping mission in the Republic of Mali in 2017, said he felt honored to be able to participate in the parade.

"Joining the military parade is the dream of every Chinese soldier. I felt very excited and proud to be able to represent China."