Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a major military parade in Beijing on Wednesday as the event debuted new missiles, drones and other high-tech equipment in a massive show of force.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who presided over the “Victory Day” event intended to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, warned the world was facing “the choice of peace or war,” casting little doubt on the country’s aggressive posturing.
“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told a crowd at Tiananmen Square, adding that China was “unstoppable” and that its people “firmly stand on the right side of history.”
The parade marks the first time Xi, Putin and Kim have appeared together in public. All three later met formally at China’s State Guesthouse.
President Trump, whose tariffs have strained relations with China and who has grown frustrated with Russia’s resistance to ending its war in Ukraine, in a post on Truth Social asked Xi to “give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America.”
No U.S. delegation attended the grand military display, but more than 25 foreign heads of state or government, including international pariahs Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, were in Beijing for the event.
The parade, a 70-minute affair that included marching soldiers, formations of helicopters and fighter jets and an endcap release of 80,000 doves, showcased China’s latest military hardware such as missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads.
Among them was the new intercontinental ballistic missile DF-61, reportedly capable of flying more than 7,500 miles while carrying multiple warheads, and the newest version of the silo-based DF-5, the DF-5C, The Associated Press reported. That missile has an estimated range of nearly 12,500 miles.
Also on display were the nuclear capable JL-1 air-launched long-range and the JL-3 sea-launched missiles, according to the AP.
The event was the first time the Chinese military’s “triad of strategic nuclear forces was presented in a concentrated fashion,” according to Beijing’s official Xinhua News Agency, which added that the three were the country’s “trump card for safeguarding national sovereignty and defending national dignity.”
In addition, new missiles designed to attack ships were featured for the first time, such as the YJ-15, YJ-17, YJ-19 and YJ-20 anti-ship missiles. All are able to operate at hypersonic and long ranges.
Also newly displayed were the aircraft-carrier version of the J-35 stealth multirole fighter, seven types of reconnaissance and attack aerial drones, and two submarine drones.
The weapons are all a part of China’s massive modernization program intended to produce a force “with both nuclear and conventional capabilities able to deter wars in all battle spaces,” according to official parade announcers.
