On display in Beijing were nuclear weapons launched by air, sea and land, laser weapons and four-legged drones
It was hardly a subtle attempt to project power. China showed off air-, sea- and land-launched nuclear weapons in its parade on Wednesday, a triad intended to demonstrate that Beijing’s long-term aspiration is to match US military might.
Also on display were large underwater torpedo-like drones, intended to threaten western warships, as well as anti-drone lasers and four-legged “robot wolves”, all designed to be noticed, regardless of their actual military effectiveness.
Though China last fought a war in 1979 – a month-long conflict with Vietnam – it has been pursuing a sweeping military modernisation for a generation, increasing its defence budget by 13 times in dollar terms since the mid-1990s, while it threatens independent Taiwan with drills nearby.
At the heart of the parade was the nuclear formation, a deliberately ominous collection of missile launchers in batches of four on vast trucks, with easily visible designations written in the Roman alphabet to aid western observers.
