What China's Xi indirectly told Trump with grand show of powerful weapons, global leaders

China’s President Xi Jinping, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin arrive for a reception in the Great Hall of the People, following the military parade (AFP)

China's Xi Jinping turned Beijing's iconic Tiananmen Square into a stage of power projection on Wednesday as the country showcased some of its most advanced weapons to the world in the presence of leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

The event, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, was as much a commemoration as it was a geopolitical signal aimed entirely at US.

Xi declared at the grand event that the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is “unstoppable” and called on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to provide “strategic support for national rejuvenation and make greater contributions to world peace and development”.

At the parade, the Chinese military for the first time displayed new intercontinental nuclear missiles, hypersonic cruise weapons, carrier-based fighters, drones and a vehicle-mounted laser defense system. State-run Global Times said the new DF-5C missile could cover the entire globe with its strike range.

But the parade was about much more than just firepower. It was a show of China’s diplomatic reach and a unification of American foes, informally known as the "Axis of Upheaval" — a group of anti-Western states (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea) who threaten the existing US-led global order.

In the viewing stands with Xi were Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and leaders from Iran, Pakistan, Nepal and the Maldives. In contrast, the United States, European Union, Japan and South Korea stayed away, after Tokyo had privately urged world leaders not to attend — a request that drew a formal protest from Beijing.

China's President Xi Jinping starts his inspection of the troops during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Greg Baker / AFP)

The New York Times said in a report that the parade was Xi's "defiant warning" to rivals not to challenge his country’s sovereignty. It added that the presence of Putin and Kim “underscored China’s pull with autocrats as the world’s leading authoritarian power.”

Analysts quoted in the NYT said Xi and Putin now frame WWII memories as proof of sacrifice and as justification for resisting Western “hegemonic forces.”

The domestic message was equally clear.

Xi, wearing a Mao-style suit, cast the Communist Party as the savior of the nation in WWII and tied that history to today’s struggles.

“The Chinese nation is a great nation that fears no tyranny and stands firm on its own feet,” he declared from Tiananmen Gate.

Reviewing the troops from a Red Flag limousine, he exchanged ritual chants: “Greetings, comrades!” to which the soldiers roared back, “Follow the Party! Fight to win! Forge exemplary conduct!”.

If Xi was sending a message of unity and defiance, US response revealed widening cracks.

Within minutes of the parade, US President Donald Trump erupted on Truth Social, asking whether Xi would “mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader.”

Trump sarcastically added: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America".

According to CNN, Trump's fury underscored the futility of his attempts to subject the true global hard men to his art-of-the-deal charms.

Despite claiming close ties with Putin and Kim during his first term, both leaders have since aligned more firmly with Beijing. Putin has escalated the war in Ukraine, while Kim has expanded his nuclear arsenal.

The CNN report said that Trump’s tariff offensives, bullying of allies and dismantling of foreign aid programs have accelerated the very shift of global power eastward that he had promised to resist.

“China is leveraging the missteps or mistakes that the US is making,” Jackie SH Wong of the American University of Sharjah told CNN.

The report added that Trump’s policies have even driven US partners such as India closer to Beijing, as Xi hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi alongside Putin in a striking display of alternative alignments.