As Beijing prepares for a grand commemoration of Victory Day on September 3, 2025, the city is abuzz with anticipation and symbolism. This year’s events are set to be particularly momentous, with twenty-six foreign heads of state and government—among them Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un—confirming attendance, according to China Daily. The commemorations, which include a massive military parade, are not only a celebration of the end of World War II but also a stage for contemporary geopolitical messaging and alliances.
The Victory Day event marks the anniversary of Japan’s formal surrender on September 2, 1945, a day that resonates deeply in China’s national memory. The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945) was the first and longest campaign in the global fight against fascism, resulting in over 35 million Chinese military and civilian casualties. The scale of loss and sacrifice continues to shape China’s approach to history, peace, and international relations. As Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei emphasized at a Beijing news conference, the commemorations are intended to “reaffirm [China’s] commitment to defending the victorious outcomes of World War II and contributing to world peace and development.”
The military parade, for which preparations are “basically complete,” will feature an array of weapons and equipment, much of it being unveiled for the first time, according to Wu Zeke, deputy director of the Office of the Leading Group for the Military Parade. The event is designed to showcase the Chinese military’s modernization and heightened combat readiness—a clear signal to both domestic and international audiences. “We hold the military parade to show our firm determination to pursue the path of peaceful development, our strong will to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and our great capability to safeguard world peace and tranquility,” Hong Lei stated, as reported by China Daily.
But the parade is only one facet of a tightly choreographed diplomatic ballet. Putin’s visit to China is his first since meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska earlier in August, and it precedes his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Tianjin from August 31 to September 1. The SCO, a security-focused alliance founded in 2001, has grown to include ten permanent members, such as Iran and India. This year’s summit, hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has drawn leaders from several countries facing Western sanctions, including North Korea, Iran, Myanmar, and Belarus, according to Xinhua and China Daily. The gathering underscores a growing sense of solidarity among nations feeling marginalized by the West.
In the lead-up to his trip, Putin gave a wide-ranging interview to China’s official Xinhua news agency, in which he denounced “discriminatory” Western sanctions as tools of neo-colonialism. “It is essential to end the use of finance as an instrument of neo-colonialism, which runs counter to the interests of the Global Majority,” Putin told Xinhua. He advocated for reforming the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, calling for a new financial system “based on openness and true equity.” According to Putin, such a system would provide “equal and non-discriminatory access to its tools for all countries and reflect the real standing of member states in the global economy.”
Putin’s rhetoric reflects the growing economic and political partnership between Russia and China, a relationship that has deepened notably since the onset of Moscow’s war in Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions. As Xinhua reports, bilateral trade between Russia and China hit a record $245 billion in 2024, with most transactions now conducted in Russian roubles and Chinese yuan. China has become Russia’s largest trading partner, buying Russian oil and supplying goods ranging from cars to electronics, helping Moscow weather the brunt of Western economic restrictions. “I am confident that Russia and China will continue to work together towards this noble goal, aligning our efforts to ensure the prosperity of our great nations,” Putin declared in his Xinhua interview.
The two countries’ leaders have met over forty times in the past decade, and their “no-limits” strategic partnership, announced in 2022, has become a cornerstone of their foreign policy. As Putin put it, “Moscow and Beijing take a common stand against discriminatory sanctions that hinder the socioeconomic development of BRICS members and the world at large,” a sentiment echoed throughout the week’s events and reported by Xinhua.
For Xi Jinping, the Victory Day commemorations and the SCO summit are opportunities to reinforce China’s role as a global power broker and a champion of a multipolar world order. The presence of leaders from countries like North Korea and Iran—long at odds with Western powers—signals a deliberate pivot toward greater coordination among nations outside the Western orbit. Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei highlighted the importance of China’s relationship with North Korea, stating that “safeguarding, consolidating and developing relations between China and the DPRK is the firm position of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.” He added, “China stands ready to work with the DPRK to continue to enhance exchanges and cooperation and advance socialist development, coordinate closely on promoting the peace and stability of the region and safeguard international fairness and justice.”
The commemorations will also include former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has called for Japan to reflect on its wartime history, and 50 international friends or their families from 14 countries who contributed to the war effort against Japanese aggression. Yet tensions remain over Japan’s current political direction. Some forces in Japan have sought to downplay the country’s history of aggression and remove restrictions on its military, actions that Beijing views as a challenge to the post-World War II order. “We urge Japan to face history squarely, reflect deeply upon its crimes of aggression, make a clean break with militarism and pursue the right path of peaceful development, good neighborliness and friendship,” Hong Lei urged, as cited by China Daily.
As the world watches the spectacle unfold in Beijing, the event is more than just a remembrance of history—it’s a clear statement about the alliances and ambitions shaping the global landscape in 2025. The convergence of world leaders, the unveiling of military technology, and the calls for a new financial order all point to a shifting balance of power, with China and Russia eager to chart a course distinct from the Western status quo. The coming days may well set the tone for international relations in the years ahead.
