China prepares for 60th celebrations

Updated September 25, 2009 13:05:06

Beijing is gearing up for next week's mass military parade and pageants to mark 60 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The Chinese are looking forward to the public holiday but for people in Beijing, it's a matter of putting up with all the extra security. Many thousands of extra police and para-military forces have been mobilized to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Presenter: Stephen McDonell, China correspondent
Speakers: un-named taxi driver

STEPHEN MCDONELL: If you're travelling on the Beijing subway at the moment and walk out and up onto the city's streets, at the exit you could pass police carrying submachine guns and wearing helmets.

Sniffer dogs and can be seen in and around the capital's bar districts and cars without Beijing number plates are being stopped at the 6th Ring Road and prevented from entering the city.

Beijing is in the midst of a massive security crackdown in preparation for next week's 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The centrepiece of the celebrations will be a mass parade down Chang'an Avenue, the main East-West corridor; 200,000 people and 8,000 vehicles will take place.

According to General Gao Jianguo, the parade will showcase the People's Liberation Army's finest weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, tanks and fighter aircraft.

Normally nothing flies over Beijing - nothing. For security reasons the Chinese capital is a permanent no-fly zone. This week jet fighters flew in low over the slick office towers of the CBD and military helicopters were close enough to offices to clean their windows. These practice runs are designed to ensure a flawless performance next Thursday.

On three occasions the entire city along 10 kilometres of Chang'an Avenue has been shut down for mass practice sessions that go for 12 hours at a time.

Beijing's cabbies have been inconvenienced more than most with these lockdowns eating into their income. They'll have a whinge about it but when you turn the tape recorder on the sentiments are wound back a bit.

TAXI DRIVER (translated): This is a big thing for all Chinese people so everybody is happy and looking forward to it.

STEPHEN MCDONELL: Foreign tourists are being blocked from travelling to Tibet at the moment and elsewhere Chinese activists have been detained in reportedly large numbers.

Ethnic Uighurs are being watched especially closely by security forces. The Government is fearful following recent conflict in the far Western Xinjiang region that these celebrations could be used as a point of attack by Muslim separatists.