'World facing peace or war': Xi hosts largest-ever military parade
What's the story
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the country's largest-ever military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian are among dozens of world leaders attending the parade, which features a massive display of military hardware, like missiles, tanks, and drones, and personnel. The parade marked the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II.
Parade highlights
Xi warns humanity faces choice between 'peace or war'
During the parade, which lasted for 70 minutes, Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators that humanity now faces a choice between "peace or war, dialogue or confrontation." He said the Chinese people "firmly stand on the right side of history." He said China was a great nation that "is never intimidated by any bullies" in an apparent veiled reference to the United States and its allies and warned that China was "unstoppable."
Twitter Post
Visuals from China
China has begun its largest-ever military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Japan’s Defeat in the Pacific at the end of World War ll, overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, alongside hundreds of foreign guests, to include Russia's… pic.twitter.com/3NfEkO9BL3
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) September 3, 2025
Diplomatic tensions
Xi's vision for new world order
Earlier this week, Xi had unveiled his vision for a new world order at a regional security summit. He called for unity against "hegemonism and power politics," a thinly veiled reference to the United States. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, reacting to the parade, said a conspiracy was being hatched against the US. "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States," Trump wrote in a post directed at Xi.
Strategic implications
Kim's debut at multilateral event
Kim made his debut at a major multilateral event, becoming the first North Korean leader to attend a Chinese military parade in over six decades. His daughter Ju Ae also made her international debut. Political observers believe the march is intended to highlight Xi's influence on nations seeking to reshape the Western-led global system. It came only days after the Chinese city of Tianjin hosted the SCO Summit for leaders from the global south, which Putin also attended.