Xi attends parade in Inner Mongolia as PLA marks birthday

The flag raising ceremony during the military parade at Zhurihe training base in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region Sunday, July 30, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xi ascends to reviewing stand for military inspection

President Xi Jinping ascended to the reviewing stand at Zhurihe military training base in Nnorth China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region on Sunday for the Army Day parade.

Xi is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

Fan Changlong, CMC vice chairman, announced beginning of the inspection.

The parade is held in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

Troops ready for China's Army Day parade

Troops gathered Sunday morning at the Zhurihe military training base in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region for a military parade to mark the 90th birthday of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

It is the first time that China commemorates Army Day with a military parade since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The PLA has come a long way since its birth in the Nanchang Uprising on Aug 1, 1927. Today, the PLA commands about two million service personnel, one of the world's largest military forces. The Army Day falls on Aug 1.

Covering more than 1,000 square kilometers, Zhurihe is the largest military training base in Asia. It is also the site that has witnessed several major PLA exercises and international war games.