Beijing staged one of its grandest military parades on Wednesday, marking 80 years since the end of World War II with an extraordinary display of strength in Tiananmen Square. Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over the event in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and 23 other heads of state, most from non-Western countries. Before tens of thousands of spectators, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) rolled out its most advanced arsenal, including hypersonic and intercontinental missiles, stealth fighter jets, drones, and naval weaponry, alongside 10,000 troops marching in perfect synchronization. For Xi, the parade was both a commemoration of China’s wartime sacrifices and a symbolic declaration that the People’s Republic has fully emerged as a global power under his leadership.
Dressed in a grey Mao suit, Xi first greeted veterans and foreign dignitaries before delivering a speech that blended historical memory with present-day political messaging. He hailed China’s “victory over Japanese aggression” in the anti-fascist war, while carefully omitting mention of the United States despite its role in defeating Japan. Stressing China’s “path of peaceful development,” Xi framed the commemoration as a reminder that humanity again stands at a crossroads between war and peace, dialogue and confrontation. His words underscored a narrative central to the Communist Party’s ideology—that China’s century of humiliation by foreign powers must never be repeated. As Al Jazeera’s correspondents noted, the messaging was as much about deterrence as celebration: Xi was making clear to both domestic and international audiences that China’s military strength now underpins its ambition for national rejuvenation.
The presence of Putin and Kim, seated prominently beside Xi, added weight to the optics of strategic defiance against Western isolation. The air force punctuated the event with flyovers trailing banners declaring “Justice will prevail” and “The people will win,” while long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads rolled past the reviewing stand. International reactions were swift—US President Donald Trump, in a social media post, acknowledged America’s sacrifices in World War II while simultaneously warning of what he called “a conspiracy” between China, Russia, and North Korea, remarks that the Kremlin quickly dismissed. Analysts say the parade was a calculated demonstration: it reassured China’s domestic audience of the Communist Party’s strength, projected power to its allies, and signaled to rivals that Beijing will not be isolated or intimidated on the world stage.
