By: The Fatu Network News Desk
China staged an elaborate military parade in Tiananmen Square to mark the eightieth anniversary of Japan’s surrender in the Second World War, displaying advanced weaponry and welcoming a select group of foreign leaders. President Xi Jinping presided from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the historic Tiananmen Rostrum overlooking the square that has traditionally served as the stage for major national events. From there, he reviewed troops in an open car, delivering a speech that framed the moment as one in which the world must choose between peace or conflict while reaffirming China’s trajectory of development and national reinvigoration.
Days Earlier
In the days leading up to the parade, Beijing hosted a high profile trilateral gathering, marking the first such summit between Xi, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un. Putin praised China Russia relations as reaching “unprecedented” levels, and together they signed over twenty bilateral agreements, including a major energy deal for a new gas pipeline. Kim made his striking entrance by armoured train, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju ae, making her first public appearance abroad.
During these talks, Xi denounced “hegemonism and power politics,” in what Western commentators interpreted as a pointed rebuke to U.S. global leadership. He highlighted how China is expanding its international aid and influence while Western countries, particularly the United States, are scaling back theirs, establishing a contrast between Beijing’s outreach and Washington’s retrenchment.
Parade Day
The guest list conveyed the geopolitical message as much as the machinery on display. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walked into the square alongside Xi and took front row seats for the spectacle. Major Western leaders were largely absent, while leaders from countries friendly to Moscow or Beijing were visible in the stands. According to Al Jazeera and Chinese state media Xinhua, roughly two dozen foreign leaders attended in total, with the crowd in the square exceeding fifty thousand.
Aerial formations and marching units provided the choreography, while the focus remained on China’s military hardware. China paraded hypersonic systems, intercontinental ballistic missiles, early warning aircraft, electronic warfare assets, fighter jets and underwater drones. Analysts watching the broadcast highlighted the emphasis on counter drone measures and air power, a reflection of lessons drawn from modern conflicts. Chinese state outlets amplified that helicopters carried banners across the square bearing slogans such as “Justice will prevail,” “Peace will prevail,” and “The people will win.”
Xi’s remarks put the commemoration in the arc of Party history and national identity, presenting the war as a turning point on the way to a rejuvenated China that refuses humiliation by foreign powers. He avoided naming the United States directly when thanking foreign governments for wartime assistance, something noted by observers given Washington’s central role in the Pacific war.
The presence of Putin and Kim created powerful images and raised obvious strategic questions. Chinese state media reported that the two leaders held talks in Beijing after the ceremony, with the Kremlin inviting Kim to visit Russia. Separate reporting highlighted praise and pledges exchanged between the two men. Western analysts have pointed to this as evidence of deepening cooperation between China’s two nuclear armed neighbours.
The parade route itself extended down Chang’an Avenue, the grand east west thoroughfare that runs through central Beijing past Tiananmen Square, historically used for military and national processions.
