Beijing is preparing for a military spectacle on September 3, 2025, as President Xi Jinping stands at the helm of one of China’s largest parades in years, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. But this is no ordinary anniversary. According to Reuters and The Guardian, the event will see Xi joined by a coterie of leaders from some of the world’s most heavily sanctioned nations—Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un, Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, and Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing—in what analysts are calling a striking display of solidarity against the West.
The parade, set to take place at Beijing’s iconic Tiananmen Square, will mark “Victory Day,” the date of Japan’s formal surrender in 1945. Tens of thousands of troops from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been training for weeks, and the world will be watching as China unveils its latest military hardware: fighter jets, missile defense systems, and hypersonic weapons, all choreographed to project the nation’s growing military might.
“Xi Jinping is trying to showcase that he is very strong, that he is still powerful and well received in China,” Alfred Wu, Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told Reuters. “When Xi was just a regional leader, he looked up to Putin, and saw the kind of leader he could learn from—and now he is a global leader. Having Kim alongside him, as well, highlights how Xi is now also a global leader.”
The symbolism of the guest list is as loud as the military fanfare. Of the 26 foreign heads of state or government attending, almost none hail from the West. The exceptions are Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic. Fico, notably, has broken ranks with the European Union by opposing sanctions on Russia and recently visiting Moscow. Vucic, while maintaining aspirations for EU membership, has also sought good relations with both Russia and China, even visiting Moscow in May.
For Xi, the gathering is more than a commemoration; it’s a declaration of China’s place at the center of a new global alignment. Political and economic analysts, as cited by Reuters, have dubbed this loose coalition of China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar the “Axis of Upheaval.” Their shared aim? To challenge the Western-led global order, whether by contesting U.S. interests over Taiwan, undermining Western sanctions, or providing each other with crucial economic lifelines. This is not merely diplomatic posturing—it’s a calculated response to what these nations perceive as Western overreach and containment.
Russia’s presence at the parade is particularly charged. Since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has faced multiple rounds of Western sanctions, leaving its economy teetering on the edge of recession. President Putin, who last visited China in 2024, is now largely ostracized by the West and remains wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes related to the deportation of Ukrainian children. Yet in Beijing, he’ll be front and center, reinforcing the “strategic partnership” that has deepened between Moscow and Beijing in recent years.
North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un, another rare international traveler, will also make a high-profile appearance. North Korea has endured United Nations Security Council sanctions since 2006 due to its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Kim’s last visit to China was in January 2019. The parade will serve as a reminder of the formal treaty alliance between China and North Korea—one that has withstood decades of global isolation.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian rounds out the trio of sanctioned leaders. China has become the main buyer of Iran’s oil, purchasing about 90% of its sanctioned exports, and remains a vital economic partner for Tehran. Myanmar’s junta chief, Min Aung Hlaing, who rarely leaves his country, will also be in attendance. China continues to source rare earth metals from Myanmar, materials critical to the manufacture of wind turbines, medical devices, and electric vehicles.
The guest list doesn’t stop there. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik will also be present, according to Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei. The United Nations will be represented by Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, a seasoned Chinese diplomat. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is expected to attend, though, notably, there are no guests from Italy or Germany—the other two Axis Powers during World War Two.
The parade’s historical resonance runs deep. Millions of Chinese died during the protracted war with imperial Japan in the 1930s and 1940s, a conflict that merged with the global struggle following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The Communist Party has made a point of commemorating this resistance with large-scale events, vowing that China “will never be brought to its knees in such a way again,” as The Guardian reports. These commemorations serve a dual purpose: honoring the past while reinforcing the narrative of a strong, unyielding China in the present.
For the Chinese public, the parade is both a spectacle and a reminder of national resilience. Soldiers have been seen in rigorous training sessions, preparing to march in perfect unison before the world’s cameras. The display of advanced weaponry—some of it never before seen—will be watched closely by military analysts worldwide, eager to glean insights into the latest developments in Chinese defense technology.
Yet, it’s the optics of international alignment that may have the longest-lasting impact. The gathering of leaders who have faced Western censure, sanctions, or outright isolation sends a clear message: alternatives to the Western order exist, and China is willing to lead. The presence of only a handful of Western-aligned leaders—one of whom is openly critical of EU policy—underscores the shifting diplomatic tides.
Still, the parade is not without its critics. Some observers in the West see the event as an attempt to legitimize authoritarian rule and military expansionism. Others note that the absence of most Western leaders is a signal of deepening global divides—divides that could become more pronounced as each side doubles down on its alliances and values.
As Xi Jinping surveys the troops alongside his sanctioned counterparts and a select group of global allies, the world will be watching not just for the military hardware on display, but for the messages—both spoken and unspoken—about where power now resides and where it might be shifting in the years ahead.