Precisely choreographed parade in China to mark WWII anniversary

Beijing is in the final stages of preparations for a massive parade Thursday, which will show off some of its newest military hardware and marks the occasion of China's celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Tens of millions of Chinese lost their lives in the war.

In Communist China, it's not just the parade that's choreographed - it's everything.

Call the beautiful skies "parade blue," reports CBS News correspondent Seth Doane. In a city plagued by pollution, having blue skies is not left up to chance. So, nearly 2,000 Beijing factories have been partially or fully shut-down, some for upwards of two weeks.

Cars? Not today. Half of vehicles have been taken off roads.

The military is even using falcons and monkeys to fend-off birds to make sure nothing will disturb its planes flying overhead.

State TV was allowed to see the final rehearsals. Twelve-thousand troops will be taking part and some of the newest military equipment will be unveiled Thursday. The parade will commemorate the end of WWII with special emphasis on the Japanese surrender. Japan and China have had a frosty diplomatic relationship for years.

"It's a made for TV military parade and absolutely nothing can go wrong," said Richard McGregor, author of "The Party," which examines the ruling communist regime.

"This is the largest military parade in modern Chinese history really since the founding of the communist state in 1949. ...It says in many respects China has arrived not just as an economic power but a global military and diplomatic power as well," McGregor added.

But it comes at a tough time. The deadly industrial blast in Tianjin, the slipping Chinese stock market and the slowing economy have exposed government weaknesses.

"I think the parade in as much as party needs distraction is a fantastic distraction," McGregor said.

The party is also trying to control the dialogue. The China Digital Times published gag-orders issued to state media. One reads: "all news and comments related to the military parade must be carefully reviewed... to guarantee they are positive..." Another directive seen by CBS News states there should be "no comments... on which leader is or is not coming."

Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be there as well Egypt's Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, who's wanted for alleged war crimes by the international criminal court.

CBS News' view from the balcony overlooks the parade route, but we received a "notice to tenants" which said that during the parade, we won't be able to stand here. We also can't have guests there nor can we open windows or take pictures.