Chinese President Xi Jinping stood alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, in a display of unity among the world’s most prominent autocratic leaders. The trio watched China’s largest ever military parade, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War. The event underscored a growing anti-western bloc, with Xi warning that “humanity once again faces the choice between peace or war”.
The parade, featuring more than 10,000 soldiers and nuclear-capable missiles, was designed to promote the Chinese Communist Party’s narrative of its role in defeating Japan in 1945 and to project Beijing’s military might in 2025. Analysts say it also served to distract from China’s domestic economic challenges and a bruising trade war with the US.
On the same day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his allies met in Paris for a summit on Ukraine’s future, without the United States. The contrasting images highlighted a new global order: an anti-western axis led by China, and a western alliance lacking its traditional leader. The US has been notably absent from both events, as Donald Trump’s use of political and economic pressure against friends and foes has accelerated the consolidation of alliances among US rivals.
In Washington, there was unease as Xi feted leaders of Russia, Iran and North Korea—described as “the axis of upheaval”. Brian Hart of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said it was “being perceived as an inflection point”. Trump responded on social media, accusing the three leaders of conspiring against the United States, though a Kremlin aide denied any plotting.
While concrete agreements from the parade and ensuing meetings remain unclear, the show of unity among countries sceptical of the US was unmistakable. The event has raised concerns among Western policymakers about the strengthening of ties between China, Russia and North Korea.
