‘Live’ Broadcast of Chinese Regime’s Grand Military Parade Pre-recorded

Commercial jets flew over the parade ground at the time Beijing said the event took place

Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets fly past during a military parade at the Zhurihe training base in China's northern Inner Mongolia region on July 30, 2017. China held a parade of its armed forces on July 30 to mark the 90th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in a display of military might. / AFP PHOTO / STR / China OUT Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images

A huge annual military parade held at the Zhurihe training base in remote Inner Mongolia was a propaganda set piece, showing off the Chinese regime’s military might to millions of viewers in China and worldwide.

Billed by the state-run CCTV as a live broadcast at noon Beijing time on July 30, video footage showed Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping dressed in army fatigues as he inspected the parade from an open-top jeep. Wave after wave of troops, tanks, armored vehicles, missiles, and aircraft passed through as the video feed captured just about everything from perfect angles and with spectacular precision.

Except the video, instead of being broadcast live as advertised, was likely pre-recorded.

Lufthansa flight LH722, an Airbus A340-600 flight from Munich to Beijing, flew directly above Zhurihe at the exact time when CCTV was broadcasting the supposedly live footage.