China boasts of military exhibition - Xi unites with Putin and Kim in arms display
China Showcases New Weapons Systems at Military Parade on World War II Anniversary
China marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a grand military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025. Over 10,000 soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) marched through Tiananmen Square, showcasing new Chinese-made weapons systems.
The parade, which commemorated the "Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," was a significant event in China's history, marked by millions of casualties. Xi Jinping, the state and party leader of China, inspected the parade and called for peace, while warning of new threats. He emphasised the need to build the PLA into a world-class force to safeguard China's sovereignty.
Among Xi's distinguished guests were Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Putin was in China since the weekend, where he held the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and called with Xi Jinping for a new world order. Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin held a meeting after the parade, with Putin thanking North Korea for its role in the liberation of the Russian region of Kursk from Ukrainian troops.
Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, and his daughter made their first officially known trip outside North Korea, accompanying Kim to the parade. However, many Western diplomats stayed away from the event, while Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was the only EU government leader present.
The parade featured a variety of new weapons systems, including a mobile laser for countering drone swarms, a torpedo-shaped underwater drone, an unmanned patrol boat, hypersonic and supersonic missiles, and intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching targets in the USA and Europe. Claus Soong of the Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) stated that Beijing's parade serves external political goals, including reinterpreting the historical memory of World War II and demonstrating China's strength to present its own view of history and world order.
The war between China and Japan lasted from 1937 to 1945, with the Nationalists and Communists uniting against Japan but remaining suspicious of each other. After Japan's surrender in 1945, the civil war between the Nationalists and Communists resumed, with the Communists winning in 1949 and Mao Zedong proclaiming the People's Republic of China in Beijing.
US President Donald Trump accused Xi of conspiring against the USA on his social media platform. The Kremlin responded to Trump's accusations, stating that nobody has instigated any conspiracies or been plotting anything.
Taiwan, which governs itself but is claimed by Beijing as its own territory, commemorates the end of the war by honoring the "fallen heroes" and standing firm in its belief in freedom and democracy.
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