China hosted dozens of world leaders for a massive military parade in Tiananmen Square yesterday.
Though it was, on the surface, put on to celebrate the 80th anniversary of World War II, the 90-minute showcase was Beijing's attempt to display its military might to the rest of the world.
Countless soldiers, sailors and airmen marched in near-perfect unison alongside intercontinental ballistic missiles, tanks and stealth planes that where wheeled out to show off to the world.
But on top of the aggressive posturing, it was also a chance for President Xi Jinping to show off his nation's rising diplomatic standing in the world, as nations slowly extricate themselves from the West's influence amid major changes in political and macroeconomic currents.
President Xi's opening address saw him proclaim that China is 'firmly stand[ing] on the right side of history and the progress of human civilisation'.
