Description: Chinese President Xi Jinping took center stage at a massive military parade displaying the newest additions in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) while also demonstrating a firm and defiant anti – West narrative as China commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Chinese President hosted his closest allies Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un while he talked about establishing the new global norm of open trade and resolving conflicts through non – violent means. The trilateral gathering was closely monitored by the global media as China shelved its latest military and technological achievements such as hypersonic missiles, underwater drones and autonomous AI – based weapons during the parade which was categorized as the most significant show of force by China which has emerged as the only significant global opponent to the US. Xi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they concluded additional bilateral economic cooperation and reaffirmed their unconditional alliance. Divisions between the member countries of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) as well as partner countries were also evident as countries such as Turkey, India and Egypt weren’t present on the military parade, displaying the core differences in their nation building traditions with China.
Impact: China has definitively demonstrated its strategic capacities and the country’s vision of establishing a differentiated global order which abandons the US as the dominant global geopolitical player. The display of the country’s technological advancement and current military might while hosting authoritarian leaders such as Russia’s Putin or North Korea’s Kim Jong Un telegraphed a message of utmost defiance to western dominion on the global stage. The parade highlighted China’s strategic portfolio as global leaders from Asia, Europe and Africa were hosted as a show of China’s strategic outreach and future geopolitical ambitions. The Summit also showed that despite China’s consistent buildup of strategic capital, major differences still persisted as India which is facing growing economic pressure from the US refused to unequivocally accept China’s vision for the global future. The military parade coupled with the gathering of world leaders confirmed China as probably the only force with national capacities to be able to challenge the US on the global stage in the future.