China’s Victory Parade: An Unwavering Commitment to Peace and Defending Their Motherland. II
Dr. Syed Mehboob
Senior Business and Political Analyst
This Victory Parade of China was a significant event and was attended by a number of heads of state and dignitaries. A total of twenty-six world leaders attended the parade. Among the President of China, Mr. Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Premier of the State Council, Mr. Zhao Leji, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Chairman of the NPCSC, Mr. Wang Huning, a Member of the Politburo Standing Committee and Chairman of the CPPCC National Committee , Mr. Cai Qi, Member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Secretarial and Director General Office of the CCP, Mr. Ding Xuxiang, member of the Politburo Standing Committee and vice premier of the State Council, Li Xi Member of the Politburo Standing Committee for Discpline Inspection, Mr. Han Zheng, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. John Lee Ka Chiu , Chief Executive of Hong Kong and his delegation of approximately 360 people, Sam Hou Fai, Chief Executive of Macau and members of his delegation, Members of New Party and Labour Party of Taiwan, Kim Jpng Un of North Korea, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Field Marshal Hafiz Asim Munir, President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, President Kassym Jamart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia, Presidednt Lurong Curong of Vietnam, General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia, President Ukhnaagiin Khutrelsukh of Mongolia, Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli of Nepal, President Mohamed Muizzu of Maldives, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyey of Uzbekistan, President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, President Masoud Pezeshkian of Islamic Republic of Iran, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, President Emmerson Managagwa of Zimbabwe, President Aleksander Vucic of Serbia, Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia, First Secretary and President Moguel Diaz Canal of Cuba, Acting President Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar, Secretary General of ASEAN Mr. Kao Kim Hourn, Former Prime Minister of japan Yukio Hatoyama , Former Prime Minister of Belgium Yves Leterme
While waiting to watch the parade at the Tiananmen Gate Tower, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and the two shook hands and had a brief conversation. According to Woo's entourage, Woo said "We met again after 7 years" (referring to the 2018 inter-Korean summit) and Kim replied with the single word "yes". Woo also met with Putin, and Putin asked Woo if there was any message he could relay to Kim, with Woo responding by saying that it is important to build peace in the Korean Peninsula despite difficulties.
Xi Jinping oversaw a huge display of China’s military power before some of the world’s most powerful leaders, rallying them behind his vision for a new world order as US President Donald Trump wages a global trade war and shakes up American alliances. Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un flanked Xi at the start of the parade as the trio stood together publicly for the first time in a historic moment.
The parade unveiled hundreds of advanced weapons and featured over 10,000 troops, showcasing China’s growing military power under Xi’s push to modernize the world’s largest standing army.
In the country’s largest ever military parade, President Xi Jinping welcomed world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, presenting China’s military prowess and vision for the future. Also present was Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter and possible heir, Kim Ju Ae, who made her first known international trip to China for the parade.
The last time China hosted a Victory Day military parade was ten years ago. That was also the first time China had organized a grand military parade to commemorate the end of the war. It was a presentation of Chinese military might, comprising a choreographed showcase of advanced military equipment such as drones, hypersonic missiles and fighters. China unveiled nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from land, sea, and air simultaneously – marking the first public display of its complete “triad” of nuclear-ready capabilities. This included the Jinglei-1, an air-based, long-range missile; Julang-3, a submarine-based intercontinental missile; and Dongfeng-31 and Dongfeng-61, land-based intercontinental missiles. China also presented the Yingji-17, Yingji-19, and Yingji-20, which are hypersonic antiship missiles that China has tested against prototypes of US aircraft carriers. Also on display were drones with the ability to function underwater, as well as in the air, some of which are intended for reconnaissance missions and precision strikes. Additionally, unmanned helicopters designed for ship-based launches were featured in the parade. Cruise missiles, Changjian-20A, Yingji-18C, Changjian-1000, and hypersonic missiles Yingji-21, Dongfeng-17, and Dongfeng-26D also appeared during the event.
The parade also featured a performance by a military band and choir. Prior to the parade, state media reported that 80 buglers would be performing, marking the 80 years since the defeat of imperial Japan in World War II. State media also reported that more than 1,000 musicians would be seated over 14 rows, representing each year of China’s resistance following Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in 1931.
Xi made a speech addressing 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square. “Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” said Xi, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”. He wore a suit akin to those worn by Mao Zedong, who led the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to victory during the civil war post-World War II. Spectators were seated on chairs coloured green, red, and gold, which symbolize fertile land, the sacrifices of the people, and peace, respectively, according to China’s state broadcaster, CCTV.
Russian President Putin was already in China, having attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin. It was the first time a North Korean leader had attended a Chinese military parade in 66 years. The last North Korean leader to attend a military parade in China was the country’s founder, Kim Jong Un’s late grandfather Kim Il Sung, in 1959.
Only two European leaders, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, attended the event in Beijing. While Slovakia is part of the European Union and NATO, Fico has pushed for closer ties with Russia and visited Moscow for talks with Putin in December 2024. Vucic, like Fico, has been critical of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine and has recently visited Moscow. The parade in Beijing took place against the backdrop of looming trade tariffs being imposed by US President Donald Trump on countries around the world. The German invasion of Poland in 1939, which resulted in Britain and France declaring war on Germany, is commonly considered in the Western world as the point when World War II started. But Asia had been facing the brunt of Japanese aggression for several years by then.
After the invasion of Manchuria in 1931, Japanese and Chinese troops – primarily under Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang (KMT) and the CCP – engaged in a series of skirmishes. Then, in July 1937, Japanese and Chinese troops clashed outside Beijing. Within days, this burgeoned into a full-blown conflict – by then, the KMT and the CCP had agreed to a united front against the Japanese that would last until the end of the war in 1945.
The Japanese military began to invade eastern cities, including Nanjing, killing thousands of civilians, destroying villages, and raping women. The CCP and the KMT continued to resist. Some estimates say that 20 million Chinese people died as a result of the war, a majority of them civilians.
In 1941, the United States, under Democratic President Franklin D Roosevelt, imposed an oil embargo on Japan. In December 1941, the Japanese army launched a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, causing damage and casualties, and drawing the US into the war.
In the 1940s, Japan captured other parts of Asian countries as well, including parts of modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar, and parts of present-day India. In 1945, the US air force dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later, on the city of Nagasaki. After this, the Soviet Union also declared war on Japan. Japan formally surrendered on September 2.
In 2014, the Chinese government declared September 3, the day after Japan’s surrender, as Victory Day. In 2015, the CCP acknowledged the sacrifices made by KMT soldiers during the war, inviting veterans to attend a military march at the time. At the time, Taiwan was ruled by the KMT, which, despite its historical tensions, had long sought closer relations with mainland China under the leadership of the CCP.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said that Donald Trump's claiming there is a “conspiracy” against the United States shows that the US president has a “sense of humor.” After the leaders of China, Russia, and North Korea met in China, Trump wrote on Truth Social to Chinese leader Xi Jinping: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.” Speaking in Beijing, Putin said, “The US president does not lack a sense of humor.”
Putin said that he and Trump have developed “good relations,” and that none of the world leaders who joined the summit in China “expressed negative judgments about the current US administration.”
President Xi Jinping said the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held China’s largest-ever military parade.
“Today, humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told the crowd of more than 50,000 spectators, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”. He said China was a great nation that “is never intimidated by any bullies.” He warned that China was “unstoppable”.
After his remarks, Xi stood in an open-top car to inspect the parade, greeting troops and receiving salutes, as miles of military hardware drove by and warplanes flew overhead. The event bookended a week of diplomatic grandstanding in China, with Xi hosting dozens of leaders in Tianjin, in a push to elevate groups dominated by the global south – and led by China – over Western-led groups such as NATO. 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.
Overall, the parade showcased new-age warfare methods, rather than the traditional land, sea, and air divisions. It showed off practical warfare methods, such as hypersonic missiles and the military aircraft that can carry them, the coordination of unmanned and manned aircraft, and the importance of information operations and logistical support. Under its new multidomain doctrine, China used the parade to demonstrate integrated joint operations and improved operational capabilities for a new era. It presented a diverse range of warfare methods, apparently preparing for an armed conflict with Taiwan, and gave the impression of a hybrid warfare, both traditional and new.
The military parade saw the debut of the JL-3, a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Compared to the previous generation, its maximum range has been extended, meaning that the entire U.S. mainland is within range even if the submarine is launching the missile from the South China Sea or East China Sea near China, without having to advance into the Pacific Ocean.
This will make it even more difficult for the U.S. military to pinpoint the location of Chinese nuclear submarines. From China’s perspective, it will be able to launch nuclear missiles by going unnoticed to start launch preparations. (China has said that it will not use nuclear weapons first.)
The military parade also saw the debut of China’s next-generation ICBM, the DF-61. At present, no specific information has been released about the DF-61’s range, number of warheads, propulsion method, deployment status, or performance, but it is estimated to be over 20 meters long and believed to be larger and more capable than the DF-41, which is said to have a range of about 11,200 km and the ability to carry 10 warheads.
The new solid-fueled DF-61 may have a range of over 12,000 km and be capable of hitting the entire U.S. mainland.
Furthermore, a new liquid-fueled ICBM, the DF-5C, was also unveiled for the first time. China showcased it by showing the warhead and fuselage propulsion sections separately. It may have a range exceeding 20,000 km, and can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads and reach speeds over Mach 10.
Overall, Beijing surely intended to show that it has already has strategic nuclear weapons and equal power with the United States as a very strong deterrent. The YJ-21 hypersonic missile debuted during the Sept. 3 military parade.
The military parade also showcased a number of hypersonic missiles, including the YJ-21, which made its debut. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command deployed the H-6K bomber carrying the YJ-21 air-launched ballistic missile during its joint exercises around Taiwan on April 1. It’s been dubbed yet another “aircraft carrier killer,” capable of striking U.S. aircraft carriers at Mach 10 (10 times the speed of sound) and with a range of about 2,000 kilometers. This suggests a strong intention to prevent U.S. forces from approaching.
The Victory Parade was a commitment of the Chinese government, its military, and its people to an unwavering pledge to continue their efforts to promote peace and stability in the world; however, simultaneously it was a message not to have any evil eyes on their motherland, they are quite capable to defending their motherland, and it should be taken as beyond any doubt.
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