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China hosts a star-studded summit to showcase its glowing influence
In this photo provided by Indian Prime Minister's Office, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. (Indian Prime Minister's Office via AFP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfDuPX3p9Y0
President Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries for a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.
Security was tight in the northern port city of Tianjin, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit is being held until today, days before a massive military parade in the capital Beijing to mark 80 years since the end of World War II.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus – with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Tianjin yesterday with an entourage of senior politicians and business representatives.
Meanwhile, Xi held a flurry of bilateral meetings with leaders from the Maldives, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and one of Putin’s staunch allies, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
He also met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Xinhua news agency reported.
China and Russia have sometimes touted the SCO as an alternative to the Nato military alliance. This year’s summit is the first since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House.
In an interview published by Xinhua on Saturday, Putin said the summit will “strengthen the SCO’s capacity to respond to contemporary challenges and threats, and consolidate solidarity across the shared Eurasian space”.
“All this will help shape a fairer multipolar world order,” Putin said.
As China’s claim over Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have seen them clash with the United States and Europe, experts say that Beijing and Moscow are eager to use platforms such as the SCO to curry favour.
“China has long sought to present the SCO as a non-Western-led power bloc that promotes a new type of international relations, which, it claims, is more democratic,” said Dylan Loh, an assistant professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
More than 20 leaders including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are attending the bloc’s largest meeting since its founding in 2001.
“The large-scale participation indicates China’s growing influence and the SCO’s appeal as a platform for non-Western countries,” Loh added.
Beijing, through the SCO, will try to “project influence and signal that Eurasia has its own institutions and rules of the game”, said Lizzi Lee from the Asia Society Policy Institute.
“It is framed as something different, built around sovereignty, non-interference, and multipolarity, which the Chinese tout as a model,” Lee said.
Putin needs “all the benefits of SCO as a player on the world stage”, said Lim Tai Wei, a professor and East Asia expert at Japan’s Soka University. — AFP
The SCO has not only inherited and advanced the multilateral framework represented by the UN but has also innovated and reshaped its concepts and pathways under new circumstances. The SCO has become both a staunch defender and a benchmark practitioner of multilateralism at a time when this principle of international engagement is under severe erosion worldwide.
14 hours ago — The aircraft carrying the Prime Minister and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail landed at the Tianjin Binhai International Airport.
China to hold its largest military parade, boasting new weapons and equipment at its anniversary
EVERYTHING is set and China is ready to display its military strength at the 70th anniversary celebrations.
Tomorrow, all eyes will be on this next super power when the military parade march along the Changan Road and pass the Tiananmen Square in the capital city of Beijing.
This will be the 15th time a national day military parade will take place since the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.
The last time such an event was held was 10 years ago.
“This is no ordinary parade, it is a parade of strength, confidence and pride, ” a senior editor of a local daily said proudly.
But I confessed that I barely have any knowledge on defence matters and am quite clueless on weapons.
“A country has to be stable and strong in economy so that its people can live in peace and prosperity.
“And in order to achieve this, one has to be strong in defence, ” explained the editor I had a chat with during an assignment recently.
I can understand how he feels. After all, China has for a long time felt bullied and ripped-off by the powerful countries in the past.
“This is also an important moment to instil confidence in the people, telling them that they no longer have to worry about the nightmare they have suffered, ” he said.
The scale of this military parade would be the largest so far, said Cai Zhijun, deputy head of the office of the leading group for the event.
“There will be 59 formations and a military band. More than 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of equipment will be showcased at the parade, ” he told a press conference recently.
A senior People’s Liberation Army officer told Xinhua that a selection of new weapons would be featured at the parade.
“All the weapons and equipment are domestic and in active service with a high level of information technology application and better strike accuracy, said another army officer.
A total of 188 military attaches from 97 countries stationed in China have been invited to watch the parade.
Chinese National Defence Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said at the country’s first military parade 70 years ago, they were short of aircraft.
“We only had 17 then. Premier Zhou (Enlai) said not enough aircraft, then we fly two times. And now, we have become strong and our aircraft no longer need to fly two rounds. We are relieved to tell the martyrs that such peace and prosperous era is what you all had wished to see, ” he said.
Wu also refuted allegations of China flexing its muscles at the parade.
“Over the last decades, China has made great contributions to the world. The stronger the country is, the greater constructive role we will play in keeping world peace, ” he added.
A total of 15,000 military personnel, aged between 20 and 70, will be taking part in the parade. They are the best of the best, shortlisted after rounds of screening.
I was lucky enough to visit an army camp and see the training session of the foot formations, comprising members from the guards of honour, soldiers, navy, air force servicewomen, reserve forces, peacekeepers and other divisions.
The male personnel have a height between 1.75m and 1.9m while the females are between 1.63m and 1.75m.
One of them is Guo Fengtong, 29. “It is a great honour to be able to participate in the event. For this, we trained extra hard with one goal and hope we are able to show our best at the national day parade, ” he said.
A member of the guards of honour division, Guo has pledged his service to the armed forces for 14 years. And his most unforgettable duty took place at the Beijing Olympics 2008.
“I was part of the flag detail to raise the Five-Star Red Flag at the opening ceremony but I had a blister and infection on my foot 12 days before the event.
“I was quite depressed then because I had trained for so long for the moment and worried that the whole process would be affected by me. Luckily I managed to recover and we completed our task perfectly, ” he added.
Ma Yanfei, 23, said she has been dreaming of becoming a guard of honour after seeing them on duty.
“They appeared very smart, strong and brave to me. So, when I was recruited into the armed forces seven years ago, I applied to join the division.
“I feel proud because we carry the image of the force as well as the country, ” she added.
Military parade seeks to show country’s ability to maintain peace
Chinese soldiers practice in Beijing on September 25, ahead of a military parade on October 1 to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Photo: IC
The upcoming October 1 National Day parade, in which China's armed forces will join with advanced military equipment and missiles, has triple meanings.
First, it celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Since 1949, the military parade is held on a smaller scale every five years and as a grand spectacle every 10 years. Thus, the parade this year is expected to be huge.
Second, China has vowed to complete military reform and has armed forces capable of informationized warfare by 2020. The outcome of China's military reform would likely show up at the momentous event and will find expression on Changan Avenue.
Third, after seven decades of unremitting efforts, the equipment of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been greatly improved. The parade will show China's nationalized equipment system and combat capability - the PLA's general combat capability has developed rapidly. By the time China accomplishes its military reform in 2020, the PLA's combat capability would have taken a huge leap. Thus, the military parade will also be a show of China's developing military equipment.
Many people are eager to know if new weaponry and equipment will be unveiled at the parade. There is more curiosity about the types of missiles that will be brought out of the PLA arsenal. People will also pay attention to the real combat capability of the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force. Because there have been systematic adjustments, people will focus on the foot formations of the marching columns.
There is no doubt that China will show its nuclear capability to the world at the event. But such a show is not meant to target any country. China's nuclear weapons will not pose a direct threat to other countries. It has promised not to be the first to use nuclear weapons at any time or under any circumstances.
Thus, no matter how advanced China's nuclear weapons are, they will only be used as strategic deterrents. But if other countries dare to use nuclear weapons against China, Beijing will be able to launch a nuclear counterattack. The US, Russia and China are all developing the nuclear triad structure - a three-pronged military force structure that consists of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines and strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles. China is catching up with the US and Russia in this respect and this has become an important basis of the country's national security.
China has been committed to a "peaceful rise." This shows that the Chinese people want to actualize national rejuvenation in a peaceful way and realize it in the 21st century. Instead of being a threat to any country or region, China's rise will contribute to global peace and stability. For example, China has provided most troops on UN peacekeeping missions, and the country is also a large contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget. China has played a leading role in maintaining regional peace and stability. Its strong military power is also an important symbol of world peace.
China's military parade will not be a muscle-flexing show against any country or region, but will aim to show its strong ability to maintain peace and stability in the world. The more military strength China has, the stronger the ability to maintain world peace. As the world is facing challenges of rising unilateralism, global and regional hegemony, it is China's obligation to safeguard world peace and stability.
Military muscle is not a bad thing. The key is how to use
such muscle. After seven decades, it is time for China to show some
muscle to the world. China's strength is a reliable guarantee of
national unity and world peace. It is also a solid foundation to act
against any force that tries to sabotage regional peace and development.
China has always pursued a defensive national defense policy, and the
70 years of peaceful rise is China's greatest contribution to the
development of mankind.
Ceremony to commemorate Martyrs' Day at Tian'anmen Square党和国家领导人向人民英雄纪念碑敬献花篮 30-09-2919
https://youtu.be/I70BPuHQir8
China holds Martyrs' Day event in memory of fallen heroes -
https://youtu.be/6GlPbISF8PA
The PLA Navy: Developing rapidly on its 70th anniversary
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