China's first military parade marking the end of World War II will not be an exercise in "muscle-flexing", the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The goal is to show that China and the people of the world have the capability and determination to defend peace," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news conference in Beijing.

The parade was one of several activities announced by Beijing late on Monday to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in WWII and the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).