Xi Jinping says 'No force' can shake China, on National Day

President Xi Jinping gave a speech at the massive military celebration of 70 years of Communist Party rule, shadowed by a day of protest in seething Hong Kong that threatened to steal the spotlight, stating that "no force" in the world can shake the Chinese nation.  Celebrations held at the Tiananmen Rostrum where Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949, Xi extolled the "Chinese dream" of national rejuvenation, and his long term wish to restore the country’s perceived past glory. 

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Wearing a "Mao suit" as he stood alongside party leaders in Tiananmen Square, he said that there is no force that can ever shake the foundation of a nation as great as China, or can stop its people and the Chinese nation forging ahead, Mao said before riding in an open-roof car to review troops. 

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Xi's ability to maintain economic and political stability

Around 15,000 soldiers, tanks and high-tech weapons were ready to file past Tiananmen Square for an event celebrating China's journey from a country broken by war and poverty to being the world's second-largest economy. A symbolic 70-gun salute was fired at the square and the red national flag was raised to begin festivities held under tight security, with road closures and even a ban on flying kites. 

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Some of the most advanced new weapons, such as hypersonic drones and an intercontinental ballistic missile whose range encompasses the United States made their public debut among hundreds of pieces of military equipment and aircraft.  

Apart from all the celebrations, a clutch of challenges tests Xi's ability to maintain economic and political stability. Adam Ni, China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney said that the party hopes that this occasion will add to its legitimacy and rally support at a time of internal and external challenges. 

US trade war negotiations have dragged on, and African swine fever has raced through the country's pig supply, sending pork prices soaring. 

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