The China's largest military parade commemorating 70th anniversary WW II

On Thursday, 12,000 People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops, between 100 - 200 aircraft and about 500 pieces of military equipment will participate in a military parade in the Chinese capital commemorating the 70th anniversary of the surrender of regional rival Japan to end World War II.

The parade is designed to send various messages to domestic and foreign audiences --- including the United States and to regional rivals like Japan and Taiwan, both of which are engaged in territorial or sovereignty disputes with China.

The claim by government spokesman Qu Rui that 84% of the equipment on display will have "never been viewed by the public" has amplified the 'buzz' around the event, though many of the capabilities involved in the parade will likely be familiar to some degree to defense and intelligence communities monitoring China's military..

Still, the lifting of the curtain -- even for a few hours -- on China's frequently opaque military modernization program will keep PLA watchers busy for weeks to come assessing the incremental evolutions and stark leaps forward in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), amphibious assault, military space and counter-space, unmanned systems and land systems capabilities.

All of which are critical to China's modernization program and to pursuing territorial claims in the East and South China Seas.