China displays its military strength in a parade on the 80th anniversary
of the end of WWII
[September 03, 2025]
By KEN MORITSUGU and HUIZHONG WU
BEIJING (AP) — China showcased its military might in a parade Wednesday
marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a show of
strength as it seeks to wield greater influence on the global stage.
Leader Xi Jinping, speaking before the parade, paid tribute to Chinese
veterans of the war. Since coming to power in 2012, he has sought to
build China into a country that cannot be bullied and is strong enough
to stand up to foreign powers.
“The Chinese people are a people that are not afraid of violence and are
self-reliant and strong,” he said.
The Chinese military showed off aerial and underwater drones, hypersonic
missiles and fighter jets and bombers in a 90-minute event attended by
the leaders of about two dozen countries, including Russia's Vladimir
Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
China's Communist Party hails progress since World War II
The splashy commemoration of the anniversary is a way to boost support
for Communist Party rule by showing the progress made by China. The
country was a major front in the war where millions died during Japan’s
invasion.
Xi, who has been positioning China as a stabilizing force in an unstable
world, said humanity must choose between peace and war and dialogue and
confrontation.
“The Chinese people’s rejuvenation cannot be blocked, and the noble goal
of the peaceful development of human civilization must triumph,” Xi said
at the end of his speech.
An analyst at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore said the
turbulence in U.S. policy is an opportunity for China.
“This is the right time for China to announce its arrival on the stage,
to be a security guarantor, to fill the political, economic, military,
diplomatic vacuums,” said James Char, an assistant professor in the
China Program.
Parade showed off drone submarines and hypersonic missiles
Highlights of the weaponry in the parade included the AJX002 underwater
drone, a long, black, tube-shaped craft that looks like a narrow
submarine with a rear propeller.
Other weapons that got attention were hypersonic missiles designed to
take out ships at sea and a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the
DF-61, which could carry nuclear warheads to distant targets.
The hypersonic weapons are of particular concern to the U.S. Navy, which
patrols the western Pacific from its 7th Fleet headquarters in Japan.
Fighter jets and bombers flew across the sky, some painting rows of
colored exhaust in unison. Helicopters flew in formation, one group of
26 spelling out the number “80” for the war's anniversary year.
Before Xi spoke, the ceremony began with an 80-gun artillery salute,
followed by the national anthem, the “March of the Volunteers,” a song
composed in 1935 during the early years of resistance against invading
Japanese forces.
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Front from left, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President
Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrive at a military
parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II
surrender in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Sergei
Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Trump sends a message
As the parade got underway, U.S. President Donald Trump said on
social media that the big question is whether Xi will recognize the
contributions of Americans who fought in the war.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un,
as you conspire against The United States of America,” he added.
The U.S. eyed the gathering of the three leaders warily, as well as
a 10-nation summit meeting in China on Monday that brought together
Xi, Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Xi’s remarks did not mention the U.S. by name but expressed his
gratitude to foreign countries that helped China resist the Japanese
invasion.
Putin and Kim, who later held talks in Beijing, flanked Xi as they
made their way to the platform overlooking Tiananmen Square. They
paused to shake hands with five WWII veterans, some older than 100.
Xi reviews troops and reminds them to defend China's claim to
Taiwan
The event began with troops marching in rhythmic lockstep, their
boots echoing off the pavement, to be reviewed by Xi, who heads
China’s military as chairman of the Central Military Commission.
Xi rode the entire length of their formations along Beijing’s
central Chang’an Avenue in a classic black limousine. He stood up
through the vehicle’s sunroof with four microphones lined in front
of him and greeted flanks of personnel as he passed them and rows of
armaments and military vehicles.
They shouted back mottos in unison such as “We serve the people.”
The PLA was a heroic military “the people and the Party can trust
and rely on completely," Xi said, adding that the army's task was to
safeguard the country’s sovereignty and unification, a reference to
China’s claim over the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
Across the Taiwan Strait, President William Lai said military might
should not be used for aggression or territorial expansion.
“Taiwan does not use the barrel of a gun to commemorate peace," he
said in a Facebook post. "Instead, it recalls the martyrs, remembers
the lessons of history, and upholds the belief in freedom and
democracy.”
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Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed
to this report.
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