China’s Display of Power: New Weapons and Old Alliances 

By Jaehyun Lee

China hosted what it says was its biggest military parade yet, in memory of its 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender. Soldiers marched in front of Tiananmen Square, and the newest additions in China’s military arsenal were presented. President Xi Jinping, who viewed the parade on a rostrum, was flanked by leaders from Moscow and Pyongyang. What challenges and message does this present, and convey, to the turbulent global order?

Sept. 3 commemorates Japan’s official surrender to the United States on Sept. 2, 1945. This surrender also meant an end to the Japanese advance into Chinese territory, which the Chinese Kuomintang(KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party(CCP) were fighting together against. This year’s military parade was the first military parade in 10 years, and more than 25 world leaders were invited to the event. According to the Independent, the leaders were mostly from developing countries, which the Independent introduced as ‘eager to turn the US-led global order.’ The only two European countries were Slovakia and Serbia, whose presidents have recently visited Moscow to improve ties with Russia. President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong Un of North Korea were particularly honoured, and flanked President Xi Jinping on the red carpet.

An ABC news article stated that the three countries’ alliance showcases ‘a powerful unified bloc of authoritarian regimes.’ North Korea and Russia have recently grown to be prominent allies since North Korea’s dispatch of troops in the battlefields of Ukraine, and China has sent its message that they stand on the center of this alliance. This may be China’s efforts to rejuvenate their own relationship with the Kim regime, which seems to have been sidelined after North Korea took a clear stance on the Ukraine war, while China has taken more of a neutral stance, considering its economic ties with the West. However, Professor Kim Yong-Hyun of Dongguk University states that the ‘fundamental relationship’ between these two have not changed, and the meeting of the two leaders reaffirm that they still need each other. 

“From Pyongyang's perspective, this visit is meaningful as a way to reconfirm economic, diplomatic, and even military cooperation with China. For China as well, this visit serves to showcase the strength of the China–North Korea relationship, dispelling any perception that ties have weakened as North Korea–Russia relations have grown stronger,” he said in an interview.

Contrary to its vast scale and revealing of their augmented arsenal, the parade wasn’t open to the public. An area approximately six times larger than Central Park in New York was under lockdown, and shops and windows were closed. Subway stations were closed as well, under strict control of the police. 

“For many observers at home, you’re going to look at that and think, ‘Wow, everything in China is perfect.’ It’s conveying a false impression of the reality of China, which in some ways is what Beijing really wants,” said Carl Minzer, author of the book “End of an Era: How China’s Authoritarian Revival is Undermining Its Rise.”

The massive parade introduced breath-taking new weapons, further stabilizing China’s growing global influence and military prowess. Below are the weapons newly operated, or yet to be operated, by the PLA(People’s Liberation Army).

The YJ-15 and YJ-21 are a new addition to the YJ missile series, or ‘Ying Ji(eagle attack)’ missile series. The YJ-15 is a hypersonic missile with the entire globe under strike range, and the YJ-21 is a supersonic anti-ship missile with an estimated range of 600 km. The YJ-21 in particular, challenges the U.S. 7th Fleet, which patrols the Western Pacific. 

The AJX002 is a stealthy sea drone, estimated to be a 18m long result of the world’s largest underwater vehicle(XLUUV) program. Experts say that at least five more types of the drone are already operating underwater. 

Three types of intercontinental ballistic missiles were introduced: The DF(Dong Feng or East Wind)-61, DF-31BJ, and the DF-5C. It was the first time the missiles were showcased in China’s military parade, and other air-launched nuclear missiles- the JL(Jing Lei-Yi or sudden thunder)-1 and JL-3 were also revealed. What’s noteworthy is that the new variant, the DF-5C, is capable of carrying 12 nuclear warheads at once. 

China revealed their new laser defense system, and finally their ‘space defense system.’ Not much is known, but the HQ-29 is capable of bringing down foreign satellites. China has increasingly developed in not only maritime dominance, missile technology, and aerial defense, but also space technology. 

China’s military parade shows the ever growing relationship between them with Russia and North Korea. It is an example of what some refer to as ‘the Second Cold War,’ a term used to indicate the growing tensions and hegemony competition between China and the U.S. Not only that, China’s state-of-the-art weapons visualize their growing military strength.