Chinese President Xi Jinping took centre stage on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday as he took part in a huge military parade ostensibly to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, but which was in fact a determined attempt to project Chinese military might and political influence to a global audience.
The parade was attended by 26 heads of state, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarus’s Alexander Lukashenko, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.
As well as being the first time that the leaders of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — the so-called Axis of Upheaval — have appeared together in public, Kim’s appearance marked the first time a North Korean leader had attended a military parade in Beijing since 1959.
US President Donald Trump, who was critical of the event for not acknowledging the vital role played by American military support in the Chinese victory over the Japanese in 1945, wrote on his own social media platform Truth Social, “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Vladimir Putin arrives for the parade. Photo: EPA/SERGEY BOBYLEV/SPUTNIK /KREMLINVladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un lead dozens of other world leaders to their seats to watch the parade on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, 3 September 2025. Photo: KremlinChinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and foreign leaders pose for a group photo ahead of the parade. Photo: EPA/XINHUA/Shen HongPart of the 50,000-person strong crowd watching the parade. Photo: EPA/WU HAOChinese troops marching in the parade. Photo: EPA/WU HAOVladimir Putin makes his entrance to the parade grounds. Photo: EPA/SERGEY BOBYLEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif take their seats on the dais to watch the parade. Photo: EPA/ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOLChinese troops march in the parade on Tiananmen Square. Photo: EPA/WU HAOChinese troops march with the flags of North Korea, China and the Soviet Union during the parade. Photo: EPA/WU HAOBalloons are released at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Sino-Japanese War in Beijing, China, 3 September 2025. Photo: EPA/ANDRES MARTINEZ CASARES
