China held a massive military parade in central Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II, pledging the country’s commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence.
Towering structures shaped like the Great Wall stood in Tian’anmen Square, symbolising the Chinese nation’s courage and solidarity in resisting foreign aggression.
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, oversaw the parade and reviewed the troops.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin flanked Xi Jinping at the massive parade of military might in Beijing on Wednesday, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding by the Chinese president and his allies against the West.
Other leaders who travelled to China for the SCO summit or related meetings and stayed for the parade included Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
In unprecedented scenes, Xi shook both their hands and chatted with the pair as they walked down a red carpet by Tiananmen Square, with Putin to Xi’s right and Kim to his left.
The event, ostensibly to mark 80 years since the end of World War II, was a chance for Xi to put on an extravaganza to showcase China’s military prowess and bring together friendly leaders to send a message to the rest of the world.
