BEIJING, Sept. 3 -- China held a massive military parade in central Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II, pledging the country's commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and uncertainties.

Towering structures shaped like the Great Wall, crowned with giant numerals "1945" and "2025," stood in Tian'anmen Square, symbolizing the Chinese nation's courage and solidarity in resisting foreign aggression.

Wearing a dark grey, high-collar suit, President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, oversaw the parade and reviewed the troops.

Standing beside Xi on Tian'anmen Rostrum were Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, along with more than 20 other foreign leaders, some of whom attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit held in the city of Tianjin earlier this week.

Representatives of people who had supported China's resistance endeavors, or their family members -- from countries such as Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada -- were invited to the event.

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Wednesday's military parade was the first since Xi led China to embark on "a new journey to pursue Chinese modernization on all fronts." The country has laid out a roadmap to basically achieve modernization by 2035.

In his speech, Xi demanded that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) provide strategic support for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He urged the PLA to build itself into world-class forces and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The 70-minute military parade demonstrated the transformation of the armed forces from a "millet-and-rifle" army to a modern military. It was attended by more than 10,000 soldiers, over 100 aircraft and hundreds of ground armaments, organized under a wartime command system.

The PLA's new structure of services and arms made its collective debut, showcasing the outcomes of a sweeping military reform under Xi's leadership.