China’s Parade of Power: Why the US and Europe Risk Defeat

The 3 September 2025 parade revealed a fractured West — and a China no longer hiding its ambitions

By Professor Andrew Azarov, Business and Economics, International Business academy Consortium (UK)

Part I. Introduction and General Context

On 3 September 2025, the world witnessed an event that is difficult to overestimate: a grand military parade in Beijing, organised to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. At first glance, it was just a traditional celebration, a demonstration of strength and discipline. In reality, however, it was something much greater: a political declaration, a strategic manifesto, and a signal to the entire world that the international balance of power is shifting rapidly.

China demonstrated not only military might but also its ambition to become the architectural centre of a new world order. From columns of intercontinental ballistic missiles DF-5C to the latest unmanned systems, from the strict synchrony of the parade to the carefully choreographed presence of foreign leaders – every element was aimed not at the domestic audience, but at the global stage.

Russia-Ukraine War and trade wars at the SCO Summit 2025

The leaders of China and India say there is now deepening trust between them after years of tension that includes a long-running border dispute.

China's President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) in the port city of Tianjin. It is Modi's first time in China in seven years.

Xi told Modi that China and India should be partners, not rivals, while Modi said there was now an "atmosphere of peace and stability" between them.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is also at the summit, attended by more than 20 world leaders, which this year has been overshadowed by trade wars with the US.

US President Donald Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Indian goods as punishment for Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil, and Putin faces threats of sanctions for his ongoing war on Ukraine.

As the US-India relationship faces increasing headwinds, Modi is moving closer to Xi. Both countries are not only the most populous, but also have two of the largest economies in the world.

Modi announced that flights between India and China - suspended since deadly troop clashes on their shared Himalayan border in 2020 - would resume, without providing a timeline.

Xi said "both sides need to approach and handle our relationship from a strategic height and long-term perspective" and that "it is the right choice for both sides to be friends".

The SCO summit itself is largely symbolic but will allow leaders to air common grievances and shared interests. It comes days before a massive military parade in Beijing that will mark 80 years since the end of World War Two.

There are 10 member states in the grouping - including Russia, Pakistan and Iran - and 16 dialogue partners and observers.

Putin, who is a close ally of China, arrived to a red carpet welcome in Tianjin on Sunday.

The SCO was created by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries in 2001 as a countermeasure to limit the influence of Western alliances such as Nato.

This year's gathering is the largest since it was founded.

Jessica Berlin: Stop Being Shocked by Trump. Start Stopping Russia.

Jessica Berlin: "Trump’s incompetence on Russia is matched only by Europe’s incompetence on Trump".

It’s been over ten years since Donald Trump descended a golden escalator to announce his candidacy for U.S. president. Europe has been clutching its collective pearls over how to deal with him ever since.

In that time, we have had an entire four-year term to observe his incompetence, egomania, and erratic behavior; a four-year Biden breather during which we were warned of and could have prepared for Trump’s return; and now, more than half a year into his second term, clear evidence that he is just as vindictive and incompetent as he seemed on the campaign trail. Yet European leaders still act surprised when he does something reckless or dangerous – like, say, invite Vladimir Putin to a bilateral summit in Alaska.

For over a decade, European leaders have been caught in a reactive loop: shocked when Trump behaves exactly as he always does, relieved when he momentarily pivots, paralysed when he inevitably reverts. This is not grand strategy, it’s political whiplash.

Startup World Cup Championship 2025 WINNERS

GLOBAL EDUCATION FORUM 2026 will take place in Davos, Switzerland. It will bring together school owners, university leaders, EdTech innovators and policymakers.

The world is changing faster than most formal education systems can reform. Artificial intelligence is transforming knowledge work. Children are growing up in a digital, global, entrepreneurial and unstable world.

Source: 100news.tv [12]