A highly choreographed display and formidable guest list were designed to send a message to the US and its allies about China’s strength
Xi Jinping presided over China’s largest-ever military parade, orchestrated to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
The event caps off a big week of diplomacy for China’s leader, coming just days after the Chinese city of Tianjin hosted a major summit for leaders of the global south.
Dozens of world leaders – mostly from non-western nations – attended the event, but it was the grand entrance of Xi Jinping accompanied by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korean Kim Jong-un that grabbed the most attention. The image of the three authoritarian strongmen chatting and shaking hands as they walked the red carpet sent a message of defiance to the west, according to analysts.
Other attendees included Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iranian president Masoud Pezashkian, Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.
