Xi hails ‘unstoppable China’ as new weapons unveiled at military parade

Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

The watching world saw a significant display of diplomatic unity in Beijing today, as China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un met in public for the first time.

Alongside a vast military parade marking 80 years since the country’s victory over Japan in World War Two, the meeting formed part of a day of statements for Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Crowds of over 50,000 in Tiananmen Square witnessed laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles, and even robotic wolves – a display that will now be heavily scrutinised by Western defence officials, our security correspondent writes.

All but two Western leaders chose not to attend the parade, while 26 heads of state joined. Xi inspected the waiting ranks of thousands of troops from the roof of his state vehicle, before warning the world must “never return to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak” in a speech.

After the parade, diplomacy continued with handshakes and hugs marking the end of Putin and Kim’s two-and-a-half hour meeting.

Putin invited Kim to Russia after the pair discussed North Korea’s contribution to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

Before we end our live coverage, here’s some wider reading:

• Our correspondents explain how China’s display of strength sends a clear message to the absent Donald Trump
• And we dive deeper into the weapons on display and what they say about China’s military strength

We’ll leave you now with a few of the parade’s most striking images.

Stephen McDonell
China correspondent

On a day when China was showing off its latest military hardware, the country’s leader seemed to have a message that peace is achieved through strength.

Standing on top of Tiananmen Gate – and without explaining what he meant – Xi Jinping said the world today faced “a stark choice between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation”.

He also said that his great nation now feared no-one.

Then a vast military parade to mark the end of the World War Two in Asia revealed China’s newest submarine drones, laser weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The presence of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and other heads of government is being seen as a challenge to the West.

But some say Beijing is just trying to give a veneer of respectability for authoritarians.

Beijing’s military is impressive but untested in combatpublished at 12:03 British Summer Time

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

China’s parade of 21st century
weaponry has given Western defence analysts much to take away and think about.

Today’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its equipment is unrecognisable
compared to the outdated force of 20 years ago, which lagged far behind the
West.

Beijing’s strength is not just in its numbers, backed by its huge
economy, but by increasing innovation and self-reliance.

Its
hypersonic glide and cruise missiles, for example – weapons that travel at
above Mach 5 – are largely unmatched by anything the US or its allies have in
their arsenal.

Its J20 ‘Mighty Dragon’ fighter jet employs 5th generation
stealth technology while its navy is expanding at breakneck pace, due to
China’s huge capacity for shipbuilding.

But
aside from a few minor border skirmishes with India, China’s military has not
fought a war since its ill-fated invasion of Vietnam in 1979, where it had to
withdraw with significant losses.

A major question mark remains over whether
the PLA, with its rigid hierarchy and doctrine, is capable of effectively
coordinating all these formidable assets to fight an all-arms campaign: on
land, at sea, in the air, space and cyberspace.

Beijing’s military parade today wasn’t just a show of strength, but a giant sales pitch of Chinese arms to potential buyers, according to analysts. Here are some examples of what was on display:

Giant underwater drones: AJX002 extra large uncrewed underwater vehicles were rolled out: they’re massive submarine-like drones can go up to 20m underwater.

AI-powered drones: China also showed off AI-powered stealth attack drones capable of flying alongside a manned fighter jet.

Dongfeng-5 missiles: Intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles designed to be launched from China’s northern silo fields, which could be used to target continental US.

Robot wolves: A contingent of four-legged robots capable of frontline reconnaissance, delivering supplies and even launching precision strikes against targets, according to Chinese state media.

Laser weapons: The LY-1 laser weapon, mounted on top of an eight-wheeler HZ-155 armoured truck. It could disable or burn out electronics, said Pacific Forum defence analyst Alexander Neill.

While meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin praised the leader for his help sending soldiers to fight on the Ukrainian frontline – but how exactly has North Korea contributed?

According to South Korea, the North has sent some 15,000 troops to aid Russia in its invasion, along with missiles and long-range weapons. In return, it is believed North Korea received food, money and technical help.

These soldiers have been involved in Moscow’s efforts to recapture parts of western Kursk – where Ukrainians are defending a small area of territory captured during a surprise incursion in August – and are thought to have sustained heavy losses.

Western officials said in January that at least 1,000 had died in just three months. Two months later, Seoul lawmakers said they believed there were about 4,700 North Korean casualties, including 600 deaths, out of a total deployment of 15,000.

Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter

Today’s parade clearly shows that China is fast catching up with the US in its military technology, and has the resources to build up a huge arsenal of weapons – but the US still maintains an edge in terms of operations, say experts.

In the US military there is a culture that gives more leeway for units on the ground to take decisions and innovate, “whereas China is top down”, says Michael Raska, assistant professor in the military transformations programme at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

“You can have flashy platforms and systems but they will not move a finger until they receive an order from the top.”

“The US military excels because there’s a bottom-up mission type of culture, where units can make decisions as the situation evolves,” he says, pointing out that this makes them more agile and innovative in any battle.

For the Chinese “at the operational level, there have been instances which show they may not be as good as they say they are”, says Raska, pointing to recent encounters such as last month’s collision between two Chinese vessels as they confronted the Philippine coastguard.

Trump’s complex relationship with Chinapublished at 10:53 British Summer Time

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC

As we reported earlier, US President Donald Trump, who was not at today’s parade in Beijing, posted on Truth Social accusing Xi of conspiring against America with the others.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has had a complex relationship with China marked by both competition and a grudging respect.

On one hand, Trump has repeatedly touted his relationship with President Xi, whom he has described as a “very smart leader” and “very good”.

On the other hand, this administration has seen heated back-and-forth with China over a number of issues – namely trade, with Trump referring to it as the “chief ripper-offer” as he announced an extremely steep 145% tariff on Chinese goods.

But he’s been willing to negotiate, and in August, US and Chinese delegations again agreed to extend a truce on tariffs, and tit-for-tat retaliations in the past have made many of Trump’s moves against China short-lived.

But that adversarial relationship continues, and just last week Trump threatened to slap China with 200% tariffs if Chinese exports of rare-earth minerals are dialled back.

On the geopolitical front, China has so far managed to dodge additional secondary sanctions over trade with Russia – a fate which has already befallen India.

Trump, some observers have pondered, may be attempting to avoid pushing China further towards Trump’s orbit.

If you’re just joining us, Russian President Putin Vladimir has met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after China held its military parade to mark 80 years since the country’s victory over Japan in World War Two.

Here’s what else there is to know:

• Putin invited Kim to Russia after a two-and-a-half hour meeting on the sidelines of the parade in Beijing, where the Russian president praised North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine
• Kim said a new meeting would take place soon, and that it was the “fraternal duty” of his country to help Russia as much as possible

• The military parade saw China show off its warfare, unveiling laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles and giant underwater drones. Watch the parade unfold via photos here
• In a lunch reception attended by foreign leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping told all countries to “value peace and work together”
• Today marks the first time ever that China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un – joined by 24 other representatives – have met in public, which produced one of the most enduring images for China and the world
• As Xi began the parade, President Trump – who was not in attendance – accused the three leaders of conspiring against the US on his media platform Trump Social, but the Kremlin later rejected this

• The optics of the military parade send a message of an alternative to the US-led order, our Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg writes

Rachel Lee
BBC News Korean

It appeared that Kim Jong Un did not bring any senior
military officials to attend China’s military parade – a different arrangement
from his visit to Russia in 2023.

The delegation list has not been disclosed, but no
military or defence officials are visible from the photos of Kim’s arrival in
Beijing released by North Korea’s state news agency.

Apart from his daughter Ju Ae and sister Yo Jong, Jo Yong Won, the party
secretary for organisational affairs also stood out. Widely considered a close
aide to Kim, he appeared to be the only UN-sanctioned member of the delegation.

Kim
has become the first North Korean leader to attend a Chinese military parade in
more than six decades, but it does not mean China would commit to any military partnership
with North Korea.

“Russia, being at war, openly cooperates militarily with North Korea. China,
however, must avoid such arrangements. That’s why Beijing allows political and
diplomatic alignment but steers clear of any military partnership,” says Prof Lim
Eul-chul of Kyungnam University’s Far East Institute.

“China wants to show it is not part of a new Cold War’s military
axis.

“Even if symbolic military figures were included in the delegation, they would
have no counterparts to meet, so their presence would serve little
purpose,” he adds.

As we’ve been reporting, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been joined in Beijing by his daughter Kim Ju Ae.

But, speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Professor Hazel Smith, a Korean studies expert at the School of Oriental and African Studies, suggests that Kim Ju Ae’s presence shouldn’t be overstated.

“It’s not a sign that this young person will definitely be the next leader of North Korea,” she says, adding that the country’s current leader also has a son who rarely joins him on public visits.

Instead, she says, “this indicates both at home and abroad, that this is a Kim family dynasty that isn’t intending to make way to any form of alternative type of government”.

North and South Korea switch rolespublished at 09:37 British Summer Time

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

What a difference a decade makes.

If you want a visual cue for how much the world has changed, look at a photo from the same parade in Beijing in 2015, to mark 70 years since the end of World War II.

There it was South Korea’s then President Park Geun-hye who stood shoulder to shoulder with President Xi and President Putin. Kim Jong Un was absent. North Korea sent a party official in his place.

But today Kim has stolen the show, and South Korea’s president is missing. President Lee Jae Myung did get an invitation, but he turned it down. Instead, Seoul has sent the speaker of its parliament.

South Korea still considers China an important partner, but more important is its relationship with the United States and Japan. The three countries have been working more closely together to combat the threats posed by China and North Korea – and President Lee, who was only elected in June, has been keen to prove to President Trump how much he values this partnership.

Today, Xi, Putin and Kim represent a counter-trio to Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Vladimir Putin has invited Kim Jong Un to Russia, Tass media reports, following their meeting in Beijing.

Kim wished the Russian leader good health and success, Russia’s state-run Ria news agency says, adding that Kim said a new meeting would take place soon.

We’re hearing that the meeting between North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin has now finished.

Russian state media reports that the talks lasted for two-and-a-half hours, before Putin escorted Kim to his car.

Earlier on, it was reported that the pair discussed North Korea’s contribution in the Ukraine war, where Putin said Kim’s troops were part of the fight against “neo-Nazism”.

We’ll continue to unpick any other key lines from the meeting as we get them.

Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter

With the leaders of more than two dozen countries invited to the event, the parade of weapons and tanks was essentially a giant sales pitch of Chinese arms to potential buyers, points out defence analyst Alexander Neill.

Some of the countries in attendance such as Myanmar are already known to be buying huge quantities of Chinese weapons. But the chance to sell to new customers or increase orders is a way of the Chinese government to extend its influence globally, notes military expert Michael Raska.

Among the key clients were those standing front and centre with Xi – Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.

The three presented a united front as they walked to the parade together and mounted the stage.

It sent a message to the US, says Neill, that if America wanted to really challenge them it would mean “fighting them on several potential theatres at the same time – the Korean peninsula, Taiwan Straits, and Ukraine”.

“And if you consider it, putting pressure on the US on all three domains, it may fail in one of those theatres.”

All but two Western leaders shy away from Xi’s paradepublished at 08:44 British Summer Time

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Most Western leaders have chosen not to attend China’s “Victory Day” parade.

The two who have gone, Slovakia’s Robert Fico and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia, are no strangers to controversy but they have very different reasons for being there.

Both attended Russia’s Victory Day parade last May, and both have met Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Beijing, just as they did in Moscow.

But Vucic’s Serbia, although a candidate to join the EU, has cultivated close economic ties with China and he has sought to steer a neutral course with Russia, despite condemning its war in Ukraine.

Fico is in a very different position.

His country is a member of both the EU and Nato, and yet he has called for relations with Russia to be normalised.

While the EU wants a halt to Russian oil and gas imports by the end of 2027, Fico wants his Russian energy supply increased and Ukraine has sought to disrupt the pipeline providing it.

Putin may compliment the Slovak leader on his “independent foreign policy”, but Slovakia’s European allies don’t see it quite that way.

Asked whether Fico was representing the EU in Beijing, a European Commission spokeswoman gave a terse “no”, pointing out that China was a “key enabler” of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine.

His opponents at home accuse him of serving Russian propaganda and betraying his country.

Fico argues he’s in Beijing “as a new world order is being formed” and says that after talks with Putin he has come to several conclusions and has a “serious message” for Zelensky when they meet on Friday.

As we’ve reported, Donald Trump earlier accused his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping of conspiring against the US with the leaders of Russia and North Korea.

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Now, Kremlin spokesperson Yuri Ushakov has rejected any suggestion of a conspiracy against the US, according to Russian state media, calling Trump’s words “ironic”.

Tass reports Ushakov as saying that Putin, Xi and Kim are “not even thinking about a conspiracy against the United States” and that the three leaders understand Washington’s role “in the current international situation”.

Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter

We saw a lot of drones – some of them AI-powered – today at the parade in various forms. The one that grabbed eyeballs the most was the AJX-002 giant submarine drone that measures up to 20m in length.

But China also showed off its stealth attack drones, dubbed the “loyal wingman”, as they are capable of flying alongside a manned fighter jet and aid it in its attacks.

We also saw the “robotic wolves” which experts say could be used in a wide range of tasks from reconnaissance and sweeping for mines, to hunting down enemy soldiers.

Their display shows a clear direction that China wants to take with its military strategy, where it “not only wants to augment, but replace traditional structures”. It has clearly taken lessons from the Ukraine war, where one can just “throw drones at the enemy” to wear down their defences, notes defence analyst Michael Raska.

“Alacrity in the kill chain matters,” adds military expert Alexander Neill, pointing out that in a fast moving battle, decisions have to be made in “nanoseconds” in order to kill the enemy and gain the upper hand – which is what AI can do.

Many countries are still concerned about deploying AI in their military systems and asking “how comfortable are we in putting AI in the kill chain”, he adds.

But China is very comfortable with that, says Raska. “They believe they can control AI. They are going all the way to integrate it into their systems.”

As we’ve been reporting, today marks the first time ever that China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un have met in public.

The Russian and North Korean leaders joined 24 other dignitaries in China, invited to the Beijing parade on behalf of the country’s president.

Also spotted in the Chinese capital is Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko, who have both taken the opportunity to shake hands with Putin during their trips.

Among the rest of the heads of state who attended include:

• Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif

• Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong
• Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian
• Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic
• Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa

Why was Modi not at China’s grand parade?published at 07:49 British Summer Time

Vikas Pandey
India online editor

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not present at President Xi’s mega show, despite sharing the stage with China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin just two days ago. Their
warm exchanges went viral on social media in what some saw as the start of a
new world order that doesn’t rely on Washington.

So, it was natural for many
to expect to see Modi once again sharing the stage with Xi and Putin. But the
reality is far more complicated.

Trump’s 50% tariffs on India
– which includes a 25% penalty for Delhi’s refusal to stop buying oil from
Russia – necessitated and even turbocharged ongoing peace talks between Beijing
and Delhi. But the two Asian giants still
have many underlying issues to resolve.

They still have high tariffs against
each other in many sectors. India is also cautious about the $99bn (£73bn)
trade deficit it is running with China.

More importantly, public
sentiment against China worsened drastically in India after 2020 clashes
between their troops in the Galwan valley. It’s too soon for
India and China to start appreciating each other’s military might.

India
is also nursing fresher wounds – Delhi has expressed concerns that the weaponry
used by Pakistan in this summer’s clashes mostly came from Beijing.

After the stunning snub
from “trusted friend” Trump, many Indians, led by commentary in the domestic
media, are warming up to the idea of closer ties with Beijing.

However,
attending a military parade in China would be as a self-goal for Modi.

Following the military parade in Beijing, our correspondents have been digesting China’s display of strength – here’s a selection of their thoughts:

It’s the first time ever that Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un and Xi Jinping have met in public together – our correspondents in Beijing, Seoul and Moscow explain why this matters.

Donald Trump, though, has not been invited to join the festivities in Beijing, and Steve Rosenberg says this sends a clear message to the US administration by offering an alternative to the US-led world order.

This, James Landale writes, will send shivers down Western diplomatic spines as China fills the vacuum left by America’s withdrawal from international norms.

Also of concern to military and security experts in the West will have been China’s display of weaponry – including missiles that travel at more than five times the speed of sound, Frank Gardner writes.

There’s no doubt of the diversity of China’s arsenal, Tessa Wong explains, but questions remain over how China’s military can integrate these weapons systems into its defences.

On the ground, our China correspondent Laura Bicker describes witnessing a choreographed spectacle of precision, power and patriotism.