China unveils new weapons in massive parade attended by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un

As we reported earlier, we saw new formations today – with the Aerospace Force, Cyberspace Force, and Information Support Force marching for the first time.

This, says defence analyst Michael Raska, sends Beijing’s message that it is rewiring the People’s Liberation Army around data, AI, and joint operations.

“The strength here is top-down political mandate; the Chinese system can impose sweeping structural reforms quickly, embedding space, cyber, and information warfare into command structures,” says the assistant professor of the military transformations programme at the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.

“Yet the weakness runs deep: repeated purges, especially in the Rocket Force, highlight corruption, mistrust, and politicisation. Centralised command may look impressive in peacetime, but it risks brittleness in high-tempo combat. What China wants the world to see is a military transformed for the information age – but internally, cohesion and credibility remain fragile.”

“In the end, this is deterrence theater: a powerful message to friends and rivals alike, but one that masks as many uncertainties as it displays strengths.”

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Meet China’s newest weapon – the “robot wolves”.

A contingent of four-legged robots have caught attention at the parade today, they’re a relatively new – and eye-catching – asset in China’s arsenal.

The machines are capable of frontline reconnaissance, delivering supplies and even launching precision strikes against targets, according to Chinese state media.

Their predecessor, “robot dogs”, were unveiled at a joint military exercise with Cambodia last year.

But they were rebranded “wolves” as part of a “strategic transformation”, Chinese state media CCTV reported last year.

State media says the wolves have improved combat effectiveness and strike capability – and are equipped with cameras to strike targets more precisely.

Trump’s out, Xi’s in – and what that means for the Westpublished at 06:54

06:54

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source,Reuters

China’s show of geopolitical and now military power this week will hardly surprise Western leaders.

President Xi has long sought to put himself at the centre of a new world order, one that replaces the crumbling global systems established after World War Two.

But two things will send shivers down western diplomatic spines.

One is the speed with which China is filling the vacuum left by America’s withdrawal from international norms and institutions. A Chinese-led world order, one where territorial integrity and human rights are valued less than raw power and economic development, might prove uncomfortable for many western countries.

And second, the way harsh US tariffs have pushed India, the world’s biggest democracy, so quickly into the warm embrace of China, the world’s biggest autocracy, will also be of concern.

One small crumb of comfort for the West is that the so-called “axis of upheaval” on show in Beijing is not united – and India, in particular, is still at odds with China over territorial and other disputes.

The bottom line is that the economic nationalism and disruptive diplomacy of Donald Trump’s America is giving China a huge diplomatic opportunity and it’s one Xi is seizing with open arms with his summit and parade.

Ian Tang
BBC Monitoring

Earlier we saw former top leaders of China standing at the Tiananmen viewing platform.

Notably absent was former president Hu Jintao.

The live broadcast shows former premier Wen Jiabao along with retired senior officials from the Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao governments, such as vice-presidents Zeng Qinghong and Wang Qishan.

Hu, 82, was last seen in public in December 2022 during the funeral of Jiang Zemin, nearly two months after the infamous scene where he was led away during the CCP’s National Congress.

A Chinese state media ex-editor and a Taiwanese political scientist have been sharing their views with BBC following Xi’s parade at the heart of Beijing.

For Wang Wen, former chief opinion editor for Chinese state media The Global Times, today’s parade was a missed opportunity of Western leaders.

“The West lost an opportunity to witness history and… to better understand and observe China’s rising military power and strategic resolve up closely,” he said.

Of all the major Western countries, only EU member Slovakia is represented on the head of government or state level.

Taiwanese political scientist Wen-Ti Sung, meanwhile, said the grand parade would surely be a concern for Taiwan.

Tuesday’s event puts to bed recent rumours about disorder within China’s military, projecting an image of “political unity” in China, with rank and file soldiers seen thanking Xi in a “pledge of loyalty from the military”, Sung says.

Beijing has long vowed to “re-unify” self-ruled Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force.

Image source,EPA

The massive military parade in central Beijing commemorating 80 years since China’s victory over Japan in World War Two has concluded.

Let’s take a look back at what happened over the past few hours:

• Chinese leader Xi Jinping greeted world leaders before the parade – including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
• In his address, Xi called on Chinese people to remember the World War Two victory over Japan, cautioning that “humanity rises and falls together” and that China is “never intimidated by bullies”
• Xi then inspected thousands of soldiers from different branches of the Chinese military gathered on Changan Avenue in central Beijing
• China unveiled a range of new military hardware, including: a new nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile, a new road-bound missile for delivering hypersonic weapons, a new laser weapon, and even ‘robotic dog’ drones
• In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump asked whether Xi would commemorate the “massive amount of support” America provided during World War Two, before criticising Putin and Kim for conspiring against his country

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing earlier on Tuesday on his signature green armoured train.

Travelling with him was his daughter, Kim Ju Ae. Her age is not publicly known.

South Korea’s spy agency has said she was Kim Jong Un’s “most likely successor”.

You can read more about the significance of Kim Ju Ae’s appearance in Beijing here.

Image source,Getty Images

Earlier we reported on a historic moment: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greeting Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on the red carpet before the parade kicked off.

During the parade Kim was seen speaking to Xi, seated beside him.

Here’s who else Kim has been talking to in Beijing.

He met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ahead of the parade, Reuters reported, citing Belarus’ Pul Pervogo Telegram account. Kim reportedly invited Lukashenko to visit North Korea.

He was also spotted shaking hands with Min Aung Hlaing, the increasingly isolated Myanmar junta chief who seized power from its elected civilian government in 2021. This is the first time the two leaders have been seen together in public.

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

From massive, underwater torpedoes to state-of-the-art laser weapons that shoot down drones, China’s latest military parade will now be broken down and analysed by Pentagon experts and defence officials around the world.

The PLA has embarked on an extensive military modernisation programme that has seen it catching up – and in some areas – overtaking the United States. Hypersonic missiles that travel at more than five times the speed of sound is one area where China leads the world.

Dr. Sidharth Kaushal, a leading expert on missiles at the London think tank RUSI, highlights the YJ-17 – a hypersonic glide vehicle – and the YJ-19, a hypersonic cruise missile.

China has also being investing heavily in artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons. One example of these is the AJX002 – a giant, 60-foot (18m), underwater nuclear-capable drone.

China’s nuclear arsenal – numbering in the hundreds of missiles – still lags far behind those of Russia and the US who both have thousands, but it is rapidly increasing in size as well as finding innovative ways of delivering its warheads.

Image source,Getty Images

It is striking to see Kim Jong Un given such a distinguished position at this parade.

The North Korean leader entered Tiananmen Square walking next to Xi and Putin, before taking a seat alongside them. We could see the three of them talking comfortably together.

Kim has long been isolated, treated as a pariah, and even poked fun at – but today he has been elevated almost to the same level as two very powerful world players.

This is the first time he has ever attended an international gathering of world leaders. He rarely leaves North Korea, and when he does, he tends to meet leaders one on one.

Part of Kim’s motivation to break with tradition and attend the parade today will no doubt have been the opportunity to appear alongside Xi and Putin so prominently, as their equals.

These leaders are sending a clear message to the West – particularly the United States – that three of them are now closely aligned.

Image source,AFP via Getty Images

Yet another missile that popped up at the parade was the so-called “Guam Killer” Dongfeng (DF)-26D missile.

This is an intermediate-range missile which, in theory, could take out an aircraft strike group – or US bases – in the Pacific.

Its nickname is in reference to the US territory of Guam which hosts key military bases and would serve as a launchpad for US Pacific military operations in the event of a conflict with China.

The DF-26D is said to be agile enough to evade the US’s Thaad and Patriot anti-missile systems.

At the end of today’s military parade in Beijing, thousands of doves were released into the skies above Tiananmen Square. Here’s the scene:

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Image source,Weibo

Chinese social media is awash with parade-related topics today.

This surge in content isn’t without the influence of censorship – major occasions like this are always busy times for internet censors. Still, the level of discussion is visibly intense. On Weibo, all but two topics in the Top 50 trending chart are related to the military parade.

Among the biggest topics are weapons such as the new ICBMs DF-61 and DF-5C – with particular interest in the latter’s global strike capability – the J-20 stealth jets, 99B tanks, and newly unveiled laser weapons.

Many Chinese internet users jokingly call this their “layman moment”, saying that they’re deeply impressed even though they know little about the technicalities involved.

Lindle Markwell
Reporting from Beijing

Dozens of spectators had earlier on Wednesday gathered at a bridge overlooked the Tonghui River in Beijing to watch the aerial flypast.

“Long live the Motherland,” they shouted. “This is magnificent.”

Image source,Getty Images

Spectators whipped their phones out as helicopters with three banners flew past: “Justice will prevail. Peace prevails. The people prevail.”

“With so many heads of state and China’s friends coming here, it shows the world stands for justice. This parade not only shows our national power but also shows to the world that we stand for justice.” said Han Yongguang, 75, who has been a Chinese Communist Party member for 50 years.

“We strive for the great unity of mankind. Those Western leaders, they can come if they want to come, but they don’t have to if they don’t want to. They are aggressive and jealous of our development now. If they come we will welcome them, if they choose not to come, we will not force them to come.”

Image source,Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be in China for four days, in what is likely to be on his longest visit to the People’s Republic, international affairs expert Nina Khrushcheva tells the BBC.

She is the great-granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

According to Khrushcheva, Putin has attended rounds of meetings with businesses and world leaders since his arrival and is believed to have signed some deals to sell more oil to China, marking “something of a victory” for Russia.

Russia, a major supplier of oil and gas, has leaned on China for business since it was cut off from trade with most Western nations after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The potential oil deal with Beijing would be a “victory” for Russia who is no longer seen as a “pariah” by China, Khrushcheva adds.

A moment ago we reported that China unveiled a new ICBM – the DF-5C – during the parade.

We’ve now got the footage showing that brand new weaponry. Have a watch:

The massive military parade in central Beijing has finished.

As the concluding announcement was made, thousands of participants waved red flags, while President Xi Jinping applauded.

The commemorative assembly concluded with the song “Ode to the Motherland” – an unofficial national anthem for the country.

Stay with us as we bring you more reaction to the parade.

Some 80,000 doves were released into the skies, followed by a massive number of balloons, as the parade wraps up.

Image source,CGTN

Image source,CGTN

Image source,CGTN

For millions of Chinese viewers, one of the most captivating aspects of military parades is the precision of the formations.

They’re always impressed by how neatly aligned the soldiers are. The goal is to make each line appear as if it’s made up of just one person – with soldiers kicking their legs to the exact same height, marching at the same speed, and turning their heads at the same angle.

For the general public, while they might not be familiar with advanced weaponry, this level of coordination – achieved through months if not years of intense training and rehearsals – is a clear demonstration of the military’s discipline and strength.

Image source,Getty Images

Image source,Getty Images

Image source,Getty Images

Here’s a brief guide to where things were situated in Tiananmen Square, where China’s military parade was in full swing.