China 'Victory Day' Military Parade
BBC News
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Laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles and giant underwater drones were among the new weapons China unveiled at a massive military parade
President Xi Jinping said his country was "unstoppable" and will "never be intimidated" by bullies, in a speech before the event
He was joined by 26 heads of state including Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un
This is the first time Xi, Putin and Kim have met together – our correspondents in Beijing, Seoul and Moscow explain why this matters
Xi's ambitions were on display this morning – and the parade offered clues on a possible plan to attack the democratic island of Taiwan which China claims, our correspondent writes
US President Donald Trump was not at the parade but he posted on Truth Social berating Xi, Kim Putin for "conspiring" against the US
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Watch: New ICBM missile on display at China's military parade
Edited by Yvette Tan, Stuart Lau and Ayeshea Perera in Singapore with reporting from Laura Bicker, Stephen McDonell and Steve Lai in Beijing
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
From massive, underwater torpedoes to state-of-the-art laser weapons that shoot down drones, China’s latest military parade will now be broken down and analysed by Pentagon experts and defence officials around the world.
The PLA has embarked on an extensive military modernisation programme that has seen it catching up – and in some areas – overtaking the United States. Hypersonic missiles that travel at more than five times the speed of sound is one area where China leads the world.
Dr.Sidharth Kaushal, a leading expert on missiles at the London thinktank RUSI, highlights the YJ-17 – a hypersonic glide vehicle – and the YJ-19, a hypersonic cruise missile.
China has also being investing heavily in artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons. One example of these is the AJX002 – a giant, 60-foot (18m), underwater nuclear-capable drone.
China’s nuclear arsenal – numbering in the hundreds of missiles – still lags far behind those of Russia and the US who both have thousands, but it is rapidly increasing in size as well as finding innovative ways of delivering its warheads.
Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent
It is striking to see Kim Jong Un given such a distinguished position at this parade.
The North Korean leader entered Tiananmen Square walking next to Xi and Putin, before taking a seat alongside them. We could see the three of them talking comfortably together.
Kim has long been isolated, treated as a pariah, and even poked fun at – but today he has been elevated almost to the same level as two very powerful world players.
This is the first time he has ever attended an international gathering of world leaders. He rarely leaves North Korea, and when he does, he tends to meet leaders one on one.
Part of Kim’s motivation to break with tradition and attend the parade today will no doubt have been the opportunity to appear alongside Xi and Putin so prominently, as their equals.
These leaders are sending a clear message to the West – particularly the United States – that three of them are now closely aligned.
Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter
Yet another missile that popped up at the parade was the so-called "Guam Killer" Dongfeng (DF)-26D missile.
This is an intermediate-range missile which, in theory, could take out an aircraft strike group – or US bases – in the Pacific.
Its nickname is in reference to the US territory of Guam which hosts key military bases and would serve as a launchpad for US Pacific military operations in the event of a conflict with China.
The DF-26D is said to be agile enough to evade the US's Thaad and Patriot anti-missile systems.
At the end of today's military parade in Beijing, thousands of doves were released into the skies above Tiananmen Square. Here's the scene:
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The parade – and the new weapons shown by the military – dominated social trending charts in China.
Chinese social media is awash with parade-related topics today.
This surge in content isn’t without the influence of censorship – major occasions like this are always busy times for internet censors. Still, the level of discussion is visibly intense. On Weibo, all but two topics in the Top 50 trending chart are related to the military parade.
Among the biggest topics are weapons such as the new ICBMs DF-61 and DF-5C – with particular interest in the latter’s global strike capability – the J-20 stealth jets, 99B tanks, and newly unveiled laser weapons.
Many Chinese internet users jokingly call this their “layman moment”, saying that they’re deeply impressed even though they know little about the technicalities involved.
Lindle Markwell
Reporting from Beijing
Dozens of spectators had earlier on Wednesday gathered at a bridge overlooked the Tonghui River in Beijing to watch the aerial flypast.
"Long live the Motherland," they shouted. "This is magnificent."
Spectators whipped their phones out as helicopters with three banners flew past: "Justice will prevail. Peace prevails. The people prevail."
“With so many heads of state and China’s friends coming here, it shows the world stands for justice. This parade not only shows our national power but also shows to the world that we stand for justice.” said Han Yongguang, 75, who has been a Chinese Communist Party member for 50 years.
“We strive for the great unity of mankind. Those Western leaders, they can come if they want to come, but they don’t have to if they don’t want to. They are aggressive and jealous of our development now. If they come we will welcome them, if they choose not to come, we will not force them to come.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be in China for four days, in what is likely to be on his longest visit to the People's Republic, international affairs expert Nina Khrushcheva tells the BBC.
She is the great-granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
According to Khrushcheva, Putin has attended rounds of meetings with businesses and world leaders since his arrival and is believed to have signed some deals to sell more oil to China, marking "something of a victory" for Russia.
Russia, a major supplier of oil and gas, has leaned on China for business since it was cut off from trade with most Western nations after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The potential oil deal with Beijing would be a “victory” for Russia who is no longer seen as a “pariah” by China, Khrushcheva adds.
A moment ago we reported that China unveiled a new ICBM – the DF-5C – during the parade.
We've now got the footage showing that brand new weaponry. Have a watch:
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The massive military parade in central Beijing has finished.
As the concluding announcement was made, thousands of participants waved red flags, while President Xi Jinping applauded.
The commemorative assembly concluded with the song "Ode to the Motherland" – an unofficial national anthem for the country.
Stay with us as we bring you more reaction to the parade.
Some 80,000 doves were released into the skies, followed by a massive number of balloons, as the parade wraps up.
For millions of Chinese viewers, one of the most captivating aspects of military parades is the precision of the formations.
They’re always impressed by how neatly aligned the soldiers are. The goal is to make each line appear as if it’s made up of just one person – with soldiers kicking their legs to the exact same height, marching at the same speed, and turning their heads at the same angle.
For the general public, while they might not be familiar with advanced weaponry, this level of coordination – achieved through months if not years of intense training and rehearsals – is a clear demonstration of the military’s discipline and strength.
Here's a brief guide to where things were situated in Tiananmen Square, where China's military parade was in full swing.Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter
Other new military equipment we have just spotted include the HQ-29 high altitude interceptor of ground to air missiles and underwater vehicles.
There's a lot of drone technology as well, including drone platforms mounted on tanks, anti-drone swarm systems, as well as automated drones and "robotic dog" drones.
As we mentioned earlier, China's Dongfeng-5 missile, a liquid-fuelled intercontinential strategic nuclear missile, has appeared in the parade.
The missile is designed to be launched from China's northern silo fields which could be used to target continental US, according to Alexander Neill, who was speaking a short while ago on the BBC News channel.
The Dongfeng-5 is a silo-based missile capable of delivering large nuclear payloads throughout the US and Western Europe, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter
We're now also seeing aerial formations – showing PLA's air combat capabilities.
Earlier today we saw shots of China's fifth-generation military aircraft take off from runways as well as flying over the sea over the coastline.
They seem to be flying inbound from the coast, and this is a new development compared to previous parades, says defence analyst Alexander Neill, adjunct fellow with the Pacific Forum.
This, he says, appears to be demonstrating Beijing's capability to launch a land attack from seaborne carriers.
This is the first nuclear missile formation joining the parade today.
As we reported earlier, we've spotted a new variant of China's Dongfeng-5 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Here is the moment Xi's car cruised slowly past rows of soldiers a while ago. Have a watch:
This video can not be playedTessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter
We have just seen the much talked about AJX002 extra large uncrewed underwater vehicles (XLUUVs) rolled out.
These massive submarine-like drones can go up to 18 to 20m underwater and be used for command and control and reconnaissance missions during an attack of adversary fleets or submarines.Tessa Wong
Asia Digital Reporter
Another anticipated weapon has just been unveiled – the LY-1 laser weapon which was mounted on top of an eight-wheeler HZ-155 armoured truck.
This laser weapon is said to be very powerful and could disable or burn out electronics, or even blind pilots, says defence analyst Alexander Neill.
Just a moment ago, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un were seen chatting while watching the military parade.
The two Communist heads of state appear to be seated next to each other while observing the event.
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