Beijing  - China's ruling Communist Party plans its first major military parade in 10 years to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, state media said on Sunday.

The party name a group headed by General Chen Bingde, chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, to prepare for the parade on October 1, China's National Day, the party's official newspaper People's Daily reported on its website.

"Troop reviews have always been considered the best way to display national strength and show military might," the newspaper said.

"The National Day military parade can show the great achievements and new style of China's military modernization and standardization," it said.

The parade would also "show the troops' great strength in protecting the security and unity of the motherland and promoting world peace," it said.

Large military parades along the Avenue of Eternal Peace (Chang'an Dajie), which crosses central Beijing and passes along the northern edge of Tiananmen Square, were held regularly until the early 1980s.

The most recent parades took place in 1984 and 1999, for the 35th and 50th anniversaries of the People's Republic, with 11 earlier parades since 1949, the newspaper said.

Many analysts believe the party cancelled plans for a 40th anniversary parade because of unrest following a military crackdown on democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

During the 1999 parade, party leaders sat on the Tiananmen Gate above a huge portrait of former leader Mao Zedong to watch the passing of thousands of soldiers and military hardware including nuclear-capable mobile missile launchers.

The party introduced a week-long National Day holiday in 1999 to mark the October 1 anniversary. dpa