China has staged its largest-ever military parade in Beijing, with President Xi Jinping declaring that the world stands at a crossroads between peace and conflict. The event, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, referred to in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, drew dozens of world leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, in what analysts described as a pointed display of defiance towards the west.
Addressing a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators in Tiananmen Square, Xi said humanity faced a choice “between peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum”. He insisted that China “is never intimidated by any bullies” and was “unstoppable”, in a thinly veiled rebuke to the United States and its allies.
Xi later inspected the parade from an open-top car, saluting troops as tanks, drones, fighter jets, long-range missiles and newly developed hypersonic weapons rolled through the capital. Analysts said the hardware was carefully chosen to showcase Beijing’s growing military might across land, sea, air, cyber and nuclear domains.
“The purpose of a parade like this is not commemoration, but demonstration,” said Jennifer Parker, a naval studies fellow at UNSW Canberra. “It is about showing a force capable of conventional and nuclear operations across all domains.”
Among the newly unveiled assets were underwater drones and the DF-61 intercontinental ballistic missile, which China claims can deliver nuclear warheads to distant targets. Hypersonic missiles designed to target ships at sea also featured prominently, a development that has raised concern in Washington over the security of US naval forces in the Pacific.
The parade followed a week of high-profile diplomatic events hosted by Xi in Tianjin, where he sought to position China as a leader of global south alliances in contrast to western-led groupings such as NATO. The image of Xi, Putin and Kim walking the red carpet together was seen as the strongest signal yet of Beijing’s willingness to align with Moscow despite western sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
“Beijing is making clear that it is unafraid to stand by its friends,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.
Kim’s presence was especially notable: it was his first appearance with both Xi and Putin at a public event and only his second reported trip abroad in six years. North Korean state media later reported that Kim, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, had met Putin and pledged to “do everything I can to assist” Russia, calling it a “fraternal duty”. Russian state outlets said Putin thanked Kim for the contribution of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. South Korean intelligence estimates around 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed since a bilateral agreement last year.
Putin’s participation came as Russia launched an overnight air assault on Ukraine, injuring at least four railway workers and prompting Polish defence aircraft to scramble.
The parade was attended by other leaders including Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Myanmar’s junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing. No senior western leaders were present.
Xi’s speech again invoked the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, a slogan central to his long-term agenda which includes bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control. The Chinese Communist party regards Taiwan as a province led by separatists, while Taipei rejects Beijing’s claims.
China’s military modernisation has accelerated under Xi, with major investment in advanced capabilities. However, the People’s Liberation Army has also faced internal upheaval, with corruption investigations and purges of senior figures in recent years on a scale not seen since the Mao era.
