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China's Xi presides over massive military parade, urges shared future for humanity

Iran Press TV

Wednesday, 03 September 2025 6:19 PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the world is once again at a crossroads between peace and war, as he presided over a massive military parade in Beijing attended by numerous prominent leaders from around the world.

China showcased its military strength in one of the world's biggest military parades on Wednesday, marking 80 years since its victory over Japan during World War II.

"Humanity is again faced with a choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, and win-win outcomes or zero-sum games," Xi told the crowd of more than 50,000 spectators.

"The Chinese people will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and join hands with the rest of the world to build a community with a shared future for humanity," he added.

Xi said China was a great nation that "is never intimidated by any bullies" and declared that China was "unstoppable".

Following his address, the Chinese president rode an open-top car to inspect the parade, greeting troops as they saluted him, while columns of military equipment rolled past and fighter jets roared overhead.

The parade, held at Tiananmen Square, featured the country's latest generation of stealth fighters, tanks, and ballistic missiles, presented amid a meticulously coordinated spectacle involving thousands of participants.

Xi first greeted foreign leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, before welcoming Chinese military veterans and taking his position at the center of the event.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, and Central Asian leaders such as Kazakhstan's Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Uzbekistan's Shavkat Mirziyoyev were among the attendees at the military event.

Xi observed the parade from the Gate of Heavenly Peace and addressed the 10,000 members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Navy, and Air Force.

In his speech, he emphasized that the People's Republic of China would continue to "adhere to a path of peaceful development."

Reflecting on China's victory over "Japanese aggression" in the "world anti-fascist war," Xi thanked foreign governments for their support and underlined the enduring relevance of the war's lessons.

He also highlighted the continued importance of the military in China's national rejuvenation.

China's most advanced weaponry took center stage in the parade, including hypersonic and ballistic missiles, underwater drones, fighter jets, early warning aircraft, and aircraft jamming systems.

Long-range intercontinental missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads were prominently displayed alongside tightly coordinated military formations, marching before thousands of spectators.

The parade followed the 2025 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), held in the coastal port city of Tianjin, from August 31 to September 1, 2025.