President Xi Jinping used China’s largest military parade to showcase advanced weapons and hint at Taiwan reunification during the 80th anniversary of Japan’s WWII surrender.
President Xi Jinping declared China’s “great rejuvenation” unstoppable on Wednesday as he used the country’s largest-ever military parade to hint at reunification with Taiwan and to flaunt advanced weapons designed to rival American power.
Xi said the People’s Liberation Army would “resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity”, underscoring Beijing’s ambitions toward Taiwan. “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable”, he added.
The 70-minute spectacle marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Thousands of troops goose-stepped through Tiananmen Square, followed by columns of tanks, missile carriers and drones.
Xi has repeatedly set 2027, the 100th anniversary of the PLA, as a deadline for military modernization — a timeline U.S. officials warn could coincide with preparations for an invasion of Taiwan.
