China crowned a busy week of grand diplomacy with a spectacular military parade on Wednesday, sending a message to the world that it has the determination and strength to champion a multipolar global order as geopolitical challenges rise.
The state leaders, various foreign representatives and some 50,000 spectators watched on as the military staged one of its most impressive shows, foregrounding China’s growing might in an event featuring more than 10,000 soldiers, over 100 aircraft and hundreds of weapons.
State news agency Xinhua said the formations were arranged in a wartime system to display the “PLA’s new system of services and arms after the military reforms under Xi’s leadership for the first time”.
In his keynote speech, Xi said the world was at a critical point with choices to make.