China held its largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, showcasing its growing military power and geopolitical influence as President Xi Jinping positions Beijing as a custodian of the post-U.S. international order.
At Tiananmen Square, Xi walked down a red carpet alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to take his seat at the event marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War Two.
Xi, dressed in a suit styled after Mao Zedong, greeted around twenty mainly non-Western leaders, including Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto, who made a surprise appearance despite protests at home. He spoke in English, saying “Nice to meet you” and “Welcome to China.”
The parade comes amid strained U.S.-China relations under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies and trade wars. Asked if he viewed the parade as a challenge to the U.S., Trump said he did not and reiterated his “very good relationship” with Xi.
More than 50,000 spectators watched the 70-minute display of troops, aircraft, hypersonic missiles, drones, and modernised tanks. Major roads and schools in Beijing were closed for the parade, which followed weeks of security preparations and night-time rehearsals.
Xi will review the troops before delivering a keynote speech atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace, where a portrait of Mao Zedong overlooks the square.
He is expected to highlight China and Soviet Russia’s role in defeating fascism and maintaining the postwar international order. Xi will also call for unity against “hegemonism and power politics,” a clear reference to the U.S.
Putin used the occasion to deepen energy agreements with China, while Kim Jong Un makes his first major international appearance at a Chinese military parade, accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae.
Local authorities mobilised tens of thousands of volunteers and Communist Party members to monitor potential unrest ahead of the event. “President Xi will use this opportunity to show that the military is clearly and unmistakably behind him,” said Wen-Ti Sung, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz by telephone with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry said. A statement on the ministry website said the call had taken place at the initiative of Iran.
The United Nations Security Council is to vote on a Bahraini resolution to protect commercial shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz, diplomats said on Friday, but veto-wielding China made clear its opposition to authorising any use of force.
Iran has rejected claims it has been weakened, vowing instead “more crushing” attacks against the United States and Israel. President Masoud Pezeshkian also warned that Israel is fabricating threats about Iran, as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed affecting the global energy market.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Russian-flagged tanker carrying approximately 700,000 barrels of crude oil docked at Cuba's Matanzas oil terminal on Tuesday, shipping data confirmed, marking a vital and controversial delivery to an island paralysed by severe energy shortages and a suffocating U.S. blockade.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
Explosions were heard in the Syrian capital Damascus as Israeli air defences intercepted Iranian missiles, Syrian state television reported on Tuesday.
In a dramatic shake-up at the top of the U.S. Justice Department, President Donald Trump has removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from her post, a White House official confirmed on Thursday.
American President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to pull the United States out of NATO after European nations refused to join a U.S.-led naval mission to unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
France has unveiled a delayed wave of renewable energy tenders to boost energy independence and strengthen domestic and European industry.
China is emerging as one of the more stable economies amid the latest global oil shock, thanks to years of planning, diversified energy sources and a steady shift towards renewable power.
In a major policy reversal, the U.S. Treasury has removed Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, from its sanctions list, signalling a sharp shift in Washington’s approach to Caracas.
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