China’s Military Parade Cements Superpower Optics

YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship ballistic missiles are seen during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo / AFP)

China displayed a vast array of advanced weapons during a large military parade to mark the 80th commemoration of World War II. The parade snaked down Chang’an Avenue in central Beijing. President Xi Jinping delivered a speech on Tiananmen Square and inspected the soldiers from a parade vehicle.

The parade displayed a range of advanced weapons, from attack drones to hypersonic missiles to battle tanks. It demonstrated the rapid buildup of China’s military capacity under Xi. Once not even the strongest military in Asia, the People’s Liberation Army’s arsenal now reaches the level of a superpower.

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by CGSP Staff

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