China’s army parade commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the top of World Struggle II is underway in Beijing on Wednesday, with Chinese language President Xi Jinping internet hosting greater than two dozen international leaders.
The heavily-choreographed occasion will characteristic a parade of missiles and tanks rumbling previous Tiananmen Sq., troopers goose-stepping in formation and fighter jets roaring over the capital, as China showcases its army prowess.
President Xi Jinping delivered a gap speech on the reviewing stand overlooking Tiananmen Sq., earlier than reviewing the troops.
Greater than two dozen international leaders, together with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s junta and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, have been on the venue website, based on a broadcast feed by state media, with Western leaders largely absent.
The parade is designed to showcase a few of the nation’s latest weapons and commemorates the nation’s “victory towards Japanese aggression and the world’s victory towards fascism.”
The parate route will transfer alongside Chang’an Avenue, the town’s central east–west artery, passing Tiananmen Sq. and the doorway to the Forbidden Metropolis.
Listed here are some scenes from the parade:
A soldier stands in a limousine throughout a rehearsal hours earlier than a army parade marking the eightieth anniversary of victory over Japan and the top of World Struggle II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Sq. on September 3, 2025. (Picture by GREG BAKER / AFP) (Picture by GREG BAKER/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Pictures
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Troopers rehearse previous to the army parade marking the eightieth anniversary of victory over Japan and the top of World Struggle II, in Tiananmen Sq. on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day army parade serves as a strong show of nationwide delight and army energy. This yr’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances because it presents itself in its place world chief. (Picture by Lintao Zhang/Getty Pictures)
Lintao Zhang | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Troopers rehearse previous to the army parade marking the eightieth anniversary of victory over Japan and the top of World Struggle II, in Tiananmen Sq. on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day army parade serves as a strong show of nationwide delight and army energy. This yr’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances because it presents itself in its place world chief. (Picture by Kevin Frayer/Getty Pictures)
Kevin Frayer | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Safety guards observe rehearsal previous to the army parade marking the eightieth anniversary of victory over Japan and the top of World Struggle II, in Tiananmen Sq. on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day army parade serves as a strong show of nationwide delight and army energy. This yr’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances because it presents itself in its place world chief. (Picture by Lintao Zhang/Getty Pictures)
Lintao Zhang | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Troopers rehearse previous to the army parade marking the eightieth anniversary of victory over Japan and the top of World Struggle II, in Tiananmen Sq. on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day army parade serves as a strong show of nationwide delight and army energy. This yr’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances because it presents itself in its place world chief. (Picture by Lintao Zhang/Getty Pictures)
Lintao Zhang | Getty Pictures Information | Getty Pictures
CNBC’s Victoria Yeo contributed to this report.
