Overview
- China and North Korea confirmed Kim Jong Un’s attendance as Chinese state media said Vladimir Putin will also come, with roughly 26 foreign leaders invited including from Iran, Belarus, Pakistan and European figures such as Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić and Slovakia’s Robert Fico.
- The parade at Tiananmen Square marks 80 years since Japan’s capitulation in World War II and is planned to feature tens of thousands of personnel across about 45 marching and flyover formations.
- Chinese military officials say new domestically built systems will debut, including hypersonic weapons, missile‑defense capabilities, strategic rockets, drones and electronic warfare equipment.
- Security in the capital has been visibly tightened for weeks, with authorities set to further ramp up controls as the event approaches.
- The display coincides with expanded China‑Russia military cooperation, as Russian naval authorities tout upcoming joint exercises and new maritime patrols in the Asia‑Pacific.