Xi Jinping says world faces ‘peace or war’, as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un join him for military parade | China

Xi Jinping warned the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China’s largest-ever military parade, flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding seen as a rebuke to the west.

Putin and Kim, the authoritarian leaders of Russia and North Korea, are among dozens of world leaders attending the parade, a massive display of military hardware and personnel, orchestrated to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the Japanese War of Aggression.

But it was the unprecedented image of the three men chatting and shaking hands as they walked the red carpet that analysts said sent a message of defiance to the west, as the US president Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.

“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.

He said China was a great nation which “is never intimidated by any bullies” in an apparent veiled reference to the US and its allies and warned that China was “unstoppable”, before the massive display of military hardware began.

“Beijing is sending a message … that even if western countries continue to sanction Russia over the Russia-Ukraine War, Beijing will not be afraid to stand by its friend,” said Wen-ti Sung, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.

China has touted the parade as a show of unity with other countries, and Kim’s attendance is the first time he has been seen with Xi and Putin at the same event. It is only Kim’s second reported trip abroad in six years.

The event drew an almost immediate reaction from Trump.

“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration,” Trump posted on his Truth Social account.

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”

Putin’s appearance in Beijing came as Russia launched a sweeping overnight air attack on Ukraine, injuring at least four railway workers and prompting Poland to scramble defence aircraft.

Among the other guests are Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. No major western leaders are attending. Kim has been accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, images released by North Korean state news showed.

Political analysts say the parade is designed to demonstrate Xi’s influence over nations intent on reshaping the western-led global order. It came just days after the Chinese city of Tianjin hosted a major summit for leaders of the global south, which was also attended by Putin.

Analysts are watching closely to see if any formal meeting between Xi, Putin and Kim is held.

“If all three were to meet, it would be very striking to the United States, highlighting a potential new cold war dynamic,” said Lim Chuan-Tiong, a researcher with the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo.

“If such a meeting does not take place, it is likely because China does not want to overly provoke the US while maintaining a certain degree of triangular ambiguity.”

After his remarks, Xi stood in an open top car to inspect the parade, greeting troops and receiving salutes. Analysts made much of the military hardware on display; from tanks and drones to long-range and nuclear capable missiles, fighter jets and stealth aircraft, with several newly developed assets unveiled.

The hardware is intended to “give the United States, Europe and China’s neighbours pause should they consider challenging China’s core national interests,” said Drew Thompson, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam school of international studies.

Much of the weaponry and equipment in the parade was being shown to the public for the first time, according to Chinese military officials. This included hypersonic missiles designed to take out ships at sea. These weapons are of particular concern to the US Navy, which patrols the western Pacific from its 7th Fleet headquarters in Japan.

Also on display were underwater drones including the AJX002 and a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-61, which China says could carry nuclear warheads to distant targets.

Xi’s speech contained several references to the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” – a common phrase for Xi’s overarching plan for China’s future which hinges on annexing Taiwan as Chinese territory.

Xi and the Chinese Communist party claim Taiwan is a Chinese province, currently run by illegal separatists. Taiwan’s government and people are opposed to this.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been undergoing a massive modernisation and advancement under Xi, but it’s also been beset by corruption issues, and in the last few years there have been purges of officials and personnel at levels not seen since the Mao Zedong era.

With Reuters