China staged a highly choreographed military parade on Wednesday in a grand display of China's ambitions, its alliances and its expanding influence.

Thousands of goose-stepping soldiers marched through Tiananmen Square, in the heart of Beijing, as Chinese President Xi Jinping looked over events officially held to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of imperial Japan and the end of World War II.

Imperial Japan occupied large areas of China from 1931 to 1945 and committed numerous war crimes against the Chinese population.

More than two dozen world leaders attended Wednesday's events. Topping the guest list were Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

It marked the first time that the three men – leaders of a group of countries that the Center for a New

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