Karachi:
President Xi Jinping called on World Nations to “eliminate the fundamental cause of war and prevent historical tragedies from repeating himself” as China had a massive military parade in Central Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II.
This was only the second military parade of its kind since 2015, which was held to mark the hard -won victory in what China calls Chinese people’s opposition to Japanese aggression and the world’s anti -fascist war.
In his speech, held before the parade, XI described the victory as China’s first complete triumph of foreign aggression in modern times. He said the Chinese people sacrificed enormous victims of the war and contributed significantly to “the salvation of human civilization and defense of world peace.” By confirming China’s obligation to peaceful development despite global instability, he warned that humanity is again facing a sharp choice: “Peace or war, dialogue or confrontation and win-win results or zero-SUM games.”
26 nations present
Leaders from 26 countries, including the most important regional players, participated in the High-Profile event, which was closely linked to the recently completed StroPLY summit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tianjin. The hardeners once again placed China at the center of global diplomatic commitment. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was among those present.
At the beginning of the parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un unhi Jinping flanked in a striking display of unity, the first time the three leaders appeared in public together.
With contacting thousands of spectators and troops gathered in Beijing, Xi declared: “The Chinese nation is a great nation that is never frightened by any bullies.” He emphasized Chinese strength and resilience and told the military that the country’s rise was “unstoppable.”
Western reactions
US President Donald Trump responded with sarcasm in truth social, writing: “Please give my warmest greetings to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un when conspiring against the United States of America.”
Western media coverage focused strongly on the military dimension of the parade and framed it as a ‘warning’ to the west. Foreign policy called it a “powerful diplomatic screen”, while Reuters highlighted China’s efforts to show its “military power and diplomatic threat.” Associated Press reported that the parade aimed to increase public confidence in China’s defense also raised ‘concerns’ among neighboring countries.
Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Political Institute, CNN told that Xi’s reveal of advanced weapon was a deliberate signal: “It’s about threats. It’s about claiming China’s reality or China’s view that China’s rise is unstoppable.”
He added that Xi’s viewing of solidarity with leaders like Putin and Kim was a ‘warning’ to the west, especially about Taiwan. “China says … We want to impose the Taiwan Association … through military strength at a time when we choose and we build the military capabilities to do so,” cnn Davis quoted.
Davis also noted that China is moving much faster in this critical military technological area than the United States is. “They get an advantage that gives them the opportunity to make it much more difficult for the United States and its allies to be able to project power into the Western Pacific in a crisis.”
Home-Court Diplomacy
While much of Western media coverage focused on the event’s military dimensions, Chinese experts and officials emphasized that the memorials were meant as a confirmation of peaceful development and global cooperation. They described as a living display of China’s “Home-Court Diplomacy” and a signal of Peking’s obligation to build a stable international order in the midst of rising global tensions.
In a speech with the Global Times, Dr. Lü Xiang, a research fellow about American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, events emphasized China’s evolving role in global affairs. “In addition to remembering the story, these memorials show the strategic value of China’s diplomatic commitment at a time when the world is facing growing uncertainty,” he noted.
The state Xinhua characterized the memorials as a “central moment” for countries to reflect on the lessons of history and commit to a peaceful future. The Agency also claimed that China, as a “skilled builder and establishment of global peace”, is ready to defend the international order after World War II and maintain justice and justice.
Wang Huiyao, President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), said Peking’s recent diplomatic initiatives reflect its vision for dialogue and multilateral cooperation. “These platforms not only allow bilateral commitment, but also give other nations room to meet, shake hands and explore common grounds,” he told the Global Times.
Among the European leaders, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was one of the few EU representatives who participated in the memorials. In a video message sent by China Central Television, Fico expressed deep respect for the victims of China and the former Soviet Union during World War II and openly questioned why other EU nations had chosen to stay away.
“A new world order takes shape – one based on multipolarity and dialogue,” Fico said. “It is disappointing to see the EU representatives act as a swelling child rather than to engage constructively in this developing global conversation.”
Military modernization on screen
Wednesday’s military parade was the first since President Xi Jinping announced China’s “new journey to pursue Chinese modernization on all fronts.” Beijing has set a roadmap to essentially achieve full modernization in 2035.
“The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable,” Xi declared in his speech and repeated his vision for China’s future. He urged People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to build up in a world -class strength and to resolute to protect national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
The 70 -minute parade showed the transformation of China’s military into a modern and technologically advanced strength. Among the weapons shown were unmanned reconnaissance and countermill systems, hypersonic missiles, corrected energy weapons and electronic warfare equipment.
For the first time, China revealed its land, sea and air-based strategic forces and collectively formed a nuclear triad. The systems described as China’s strategic “ESS” for the protection of sovereignty and national dignity included Jinglei-1 air-launched long-range missile, Christmas-3-submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile, dongfeng-61 land-based ICBM and a new variant of the Dongfeng-31 ICBM.
