China’s Military Parade Is a Powerful Diplomatic Display

Xi Jinping is trying to link past, present, and future.

Xi and Putin sit in the center of a row of other officials and dignitaries, their heads turned to look at something in the same direction as the camera. Both men wear dark suits. Two other men sitting in the same row wear military dress uniforms and hats that are highly decorated with medals. August 28, 2025, 2:59 PM

China’s Sept. 3 military parade, held to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the War of Resistance Against Japan, will be the fourth such event since President Xi Jinping came to power. Yet the context today is strikingly different. At home, the country faces economic headwinds, but its military strength continues to grow. Abroad, ties with the West—particu

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