42 minutes agoShareSaveShareSaveChinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood publicly shoulder to shoulder for the first time on Wednesday, ahead of a massive military parade in central Beijing.That parade, which marked 80 years since China’s victory over Japan in World War Two, saw Beijing unveiling 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.It comes at a time when Xi seeks to project Beijing’s power on the international stage – not just as the world’s second-largest economy, but also as a counterweight to the United States as Trump’s tariffs rock the global economic and political order.Four BBC correspondents assess the significance of Wednesday’s parade – what it means, why it matters, and what the spectacle tells us about the “new world order”.An enduring image for China – and the worldBy Laura Bicker, China correspondentOne of the most enduring images of this military parade took place before the first cannon was fired.President Xi welcoming North Korea’s Kim Jong Un with a long handshake, then moving on to greet Russia’s Vladimir Putin before all three walked together to watch the parade, was sheer political theatre.This was the first time all three leaders have been seen in public together, and they really picked their moment.But it is this meeting, not just the weapons and troops on show, that appears to have grabbed the attention of Donald Trump.Trump posted on Truth Social earlier, accusing Xi of conspiring against America with the others. The Chinese leader said in this speech that his country is on the right side of history.Getty ImagesWednesdays parade was a choreographed spectacle of precision, power and patriotism.Even the choir stood in perfectly even rows as they sang “without the Communist Party, there is no modern China”.The troops goose-stepped past in unison, and each strike of the ground echoed through the stands of 50,000 guests in Tiananmen Square.Then came the big weapons, and the crowd reached for their phones. A new ICBM, laser weapons, even robotic dogs.The parade finished on a crowd-pleasing fly past before thousands of doves and balloons were released into the skies over the capital.This display to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War was not just a look at where China has been, or how far China has come.It showcased …
