Beijing: Russian President Vladimir Putin will be there, standing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping – and his wife Peng Liyuan – to take the salute as thousands of troops march past Tiananmen Square in unison, with tanks, missiles and fighter jets in tow.
The September 3 military parade, commemorating the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender and the end of World War II, is the year's biggest event on the Communist Party calendar. But not everyone is coming to the party.
Senior Western leaders, including US President Barack Obama, have shunned the event, worried about the message they'd send by endorsing China's swaggering pride and drum-beating nationalism. Australia is sending Veteran Affairs Minister Michael Ronaldson as a representative of the government.
"We have invited leaders of relevant countries to join the Chinese people to celebrate this great day," Vice-MInister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Ming said at a press conference last week. "But it is their own decision. For us, we respect and welcome all guests."
Arguably the only major surprises among the eclectic list of attendees are United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and South Korean President Park Geun-hye. South Korean news agency Yonhap said the decision was made based on her resolve to maintain good ties with China amid security challenges with North Korea.
Mr Ban's office said he was aware of the concern his attendance has raised in Japan, which believes the UN should remain neutral on the commemoration of historical events. Tokyo has voiced its "strong displeasure" through its mission at the UN.
"It is important to look to the past, what kinds of lessons we have been learning, and how we can move ahead to a brighter future based on the lessons learned," Mr Ban said. "That is the main purpose."
There will also be almost 1000 troops from 17 countries marching alongside People's Liberation Army troops. They are from Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Egypt, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Vanuatu and Venezuela.
Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejected China's invitation, but former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama will be there. Mr Murayama's heartfelt apology in 1995 for Japan's wartime aggression is widely considered the benchmark against which other Japanese politicians are measured.
Among the attendees are noted allies of China and countries heavily reliant on its investment, including senior leaders of Pakistan, South Africa and Venezuela.
But reflecting the tension in the South China Sea, half of the ASEAN are absent: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore are not sending top-level representation.
The full list of 30 senior leaders and heads of state:
Abdelkader Bensalah, Algeria, Chairman of the Council of the Nation
Amado Boudou, Argentina, Vice-President
Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus, President
Dragan Čović Bosnia-Herzegovina Chairman of the Presidency
Norodom Sihamoni, Cambodia, King
Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuba, Vice-President
Miloš Zeman Czech Republic, President
Joseph Kabila, DR Congo, President
Taur Matan Ruak, East Timor, President
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Egypt, President
Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia, Prime Minister
Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan, President
Almazbek Atambayev, Kyrgyzstan, President
Choummaly Sayasone, Laos, General Secretary, Lao People's Revolutionary Party
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Mongolia, President
Thein Sein, Myanmar, President
Choe Ryong-hae, North Korea, Vice Marshal, Politburo member
Mamnoon Hussain, Pakistan, President
Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Poland, Chairwoman of Sejm (lower house)
Vladimir Putin, Russia, President
Tomislav Nikolić, Serbia, President
Jacob Zuma, South Africa, President
Park Geun-hye, South Korea, President
Omar al-Bashir, Sudan, President
Emomali Rahmon, Tajikistan, President
Prawit Wongsuwan, Thailand, Deputy chairman of Thai junta
Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan, President
Sato Kilman, Vanuatu, Prime Minister
Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela, President
Trương Tấn Sang, Vietnam, President
19 Government representatives:
Michael Ronaldson, Australia, Minister for Veterans' Affairs
Jaques Wagner, Brazil, Defence Minister
Laurent Fabius, France, Foreign Minister
Peter Szijjarto, Hungary, Foreign Minister
V. K. Singh, India, Minister of State for External Affairs
Paolo Gentiloni, Italy, Foreign Minister
Mohammed al-Dairi, Libya, Foreign Minister
Ong Ka Ting, Malaysia, special envoy
Nout Wellink, Holland, state secretary
Don McKinnon, New Zealand, special envoy and former deputy prime minister
Wong Kan Seng, Singapore, special envoy and former deputy prime minister
Farhat Horchani, Tunisia, Defence Minister
Ken Clarke, Britain, special envoy and former justice minister
Ambassadors for Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Papua New Guinea, United States and the European Union.
