This was the scene during the military parade held on July 4 in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the end of the genocide in Rwanda. During the parade, instead of the Western marches of previous celebrations, the troops adopted Chinese marches and commands that had been taught to them by Chinese instructors.
At the invitation from the Rwanda Defense Force, a crew of six instructors from the Honor Guard of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) helped train Rwanda soldiers and police for the military parade.
The orderly formation during the parade showed the spirit and energetic looks of the soldiers and police officers, which impressed the Rwanda military. They thanked the Chinese instructors after the parade and said that they would keep using the Chinese-style formation, China Central Television reported.
Senior Colonel Han Jie, leading officer of the PLA Honor Guard, told the Global Times that the training group overcame unfavourable conditions such as language barriers and an arduous environment to fulfil their mission and bring honour to the PLA.
Since 1949, China has held a dozen military parades, which are among the largest in the world. The members of the PLA Honor Guard, which has participated in multiple national parades, undergo very rigorous training and have impressed the world with their ordered and stunning performances.
This is not the first time that a foreign parade has featured Chinese-style drills instead…
