China celebrated the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War with an imposing military parade, showing hypersonical missiles and the support of Putin and Kim. Xi Jinping has launched a message against American hegemony.
Beijing has transformed the 80th anniversary of the Chinese victory in the Second World War into a colossal demonstration of strength, designed to impress the internal public and launch an unequivocal signal to the West. The great military parade in Piazza Tiananmen saw XI Jinping place themselves as a symbol of a “new world order”, flanked by Vladimir Putin And Kim Jong ain an image that underlined the growing convergence between the rivals of Washington.
The fashion show brought over ten thousand soldiers and an avant -garde arsenal: terrestrial pilot drones, naval and planes, cybernetic war units, strategic missiles and above all new hypersonical weapons with nuclear ability. XI, turning to the crowd from Tiananmen – the “Celestial Peace Porta” – He proclaimed that” the renewal of the Chinese nation is unstoppable “and that China will continue to defend world peace thanks to the sacrifices made by its people.
The scenography was treated in detail: 200,000 flags, floral flower beds created specially and rigid safety measures, with paramilitary patrols and traffic blocks. In the sky, the choreography ended with the overflow of hunting and helicopters and the release of 80,000 white doves. Between the public, delegations from 26 countries, including Iranand leader of governments of theCentral Asia And sweatto underline the growing diplomatic influence of Beijing.
The absence of western leaders, in particular United States And United Kingdom – Historical allies in the fight against Nazi -fascism – was instead evident. An ironic message came to fill the void of Donald Trumpwho on social networks wished “a great day of celebration” to the Chinese people, and then add: “Greet me Putin and Kim, while conspiring against the United States of America”. A comment that reflects the ambiguity and oscillations of Trumpian foreign policy, often oscillating between provocations, unexpected openings and contradictory signals that feed doubts about the American ability to maintain a coherent strategic line.
The parade observe several analysts, has also served to strengthen the internal image of the Communist Party as a guarantor of national sovereignty. «For the internal public the goal is to show XI as custodian of the country and flaunting the military investments in which he poured enormous resources, “he explained Daniel Russelformer American diplomat now at Asia Society. The Wall Street Journal recalled how the China But cross a delicate moment: the economy slows down, youth unemployment remains high, the debt grows and the real estate crisis continues to weigh. In addition, in the last two years XI has started vast periods that have affected over two dozen high officers of the army and managers of the defense sector. Three members of the Central military commission They have not been more public for months, a sign of internal tensions that question the real readiness to the fighting of the armed forces.
On the military, the numbers remain impressive: the budget for the defense he reached about 250 billion dollarsalmost double compared to ten years ago; The nuclear arsenal doubled in the same period; And the Chinese navy is today the largest in the world by number of units. A new aircraft carrier with electromagnetic launch system is being completed and should allow Beijing to deploy heavier aircraft, reducing the technological gap with Washington. However, a crucial unknown: the China He has not participated in large -scale conflicts since 1979. «The real question – observes Drew Thompsonexpert of the S. Rajaratnam School of Singapore – It is whether the weapon systems can be integrated effectively, if the soldiers are prepared and if the officers are able to face the complexity of the modern war ».
On a geopolitical level, the parade ranks in a wider design. In the previous days, XI had hosted a Tianjin the top of the organization for the Shangha cooperationI, strengthening the links with Putin and the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. The stated goal is to offer an alternative model to what Beijing calls “American hegemony”. Many leaders, however, fear that this translates into a system dominated by China. XI’s final message was charged with historical rhetoric and strategic vision: “In the face of the choice between peace and war, between dialogue and clash, the Chinese people are placed on the right side of history”. According to the historian Vincent Chang ofUniversity of Leidathese words must be read as an invitation to prepare for new sacrifices, presented not as suffering but as proof of national determination. The picture that emerges is that of a country which, despite internal difficulties and questions about the effectiveness of its military apparatus, intends to project the image of a power ready to exploit any space left free from western uncertainties, and in particular by the unpredictability of foreign policy of Donald Trump, To establish itself as a central actor in the new global order. All themes of which the European Union should also deal with.
