Overview

• China staged a 70‑minute display on Tiananmen Square featuring hypersonic systems, nuclear‑capable missiles, drones, modernized armor, and more than a hundred aircraft and helicopters.
• Major Western leaders were absent as roughly twenty foreign leaders attended, and Kim Jong Un made a rare foreign appearance that included the first North Korean presence at a Chinese military parade since 1959, with South Korean intelligence saying he was accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae.
• In a nationally broadcast address, Xi Jinping said China’s national rejuvenation is unstoppable and warned the world faces a choice between peace or confrontation, while avoiding direct mentions of the United States or tariffs.
• Vladimir Putin used the visit to announce new energy agreements with Beijing, adding practical substance to the public show of alignment.
• The event capped a week of Chinese diplomacy, including an SCO summit, and illustrates Beijing’s preference for issue‑based partnerships over formal military alliances.