China Stages Largest-Ever Military Parade as Xi Jinping Courts Global Clout

• By Thetripurapost Web Desk, Beijing
• Sep 03, 2025
• 546

Beijing witnessed its most elaborate military parade on Wednesday, as President Xi Jinping showcased China’s rising firepower and bid to project himself as a leader shaping a new post-U.S. international order.

Flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Xi strode across a red carpet into Tiananmen Square, where more than 50,000 spectators and a mass patriotic choir greeted him. Dressed in a Mao-style suit, he exchanged greetings with over 20 world leaders, including Indonesia’s president, who made a surprise appearance despite domestic turmoil.

The 70-minute “Victory Day” spectacle, commemorating 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II, featured thousands of marching troops, aerial flyovers, and China’s most advanced weaponry — from hypersonic missiles and drones to next-generation tanks. Beijing had shut major roads and schools while imposing tight security after weeks of rehearsals.

Xi has framed the commemoration as part of China’s “great rejuvenation,” emphasizing its wartime sacrifices alongside Soviet Russia in defeating fascism. Analysts expect him to stress China’s role as a defender of the postwar order while criticizing “hegemonism and power politics” — rhetoric widely seen as a rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies and ongoing tariff battles.

Trump, when asked, downplayed the event as a challenge to Washington, instead reaffirming his “very good relationship” with Xi, though he insisted, “China needs us much more than we need them.”

The parade also served as a platform for geopolitical maneuvering. Putin leveraged the occasion to advance energy deals with China, while Kim Jong Un, in his first major multilateral appearance, became the first North Korean leader to attend a Chinese military parade in 66 years. His daughter, Ju Ae, considered by South Korean intelligence as his possible successor, made her international debut.

Tens of thousands of Communist Party volunteers were deployed across China to guard against unrest during the event. Experts say the parade not only underscored China’s military might but also reinforced the People’s Liberation Army’s unwavering loyalty to Xi as he consolidates power at home and abroad.