Sep 4, 2025 | China marked 80 years since Japan's surrender in the Second World War with its largest ever parade on Wednesday - a two-hour show of national unity, diplomatic depth and military might. President Xi was the star of the show. He traveled in an open-top car and wore a Mao-style suit as a tribute to the founding father of the People’s Republic. His guests were a rogue’s gallery of leaders who reject the American-led world order, among them Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who rarely leaves his country. Also on display was an array of military hardware, some of it never seen before. Xi cast himself as the leader of a new world order and characterized his country as “unstoppable” in a speech delivered at Wednesday’s parade.
