Xi Warns of ‘Peace or War’ as Trump alleges Chinese Conspiracy
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a stark warning Wednesday, stating the world faces a choice between peace and war, as a large-scale military parade marked the 80th anniversary of the end of Japan’s aggression in world War II. The display of military might came as former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that Beijing is actively conspiring against the United States.
Xi’s address,delivered overlooking Tiananmen Square,underscored growing global tensions and China’s ambition to project itself as a major world power. The parade featured advanced weaponry and a flypast of aircraft,showcasing China’s military modernization. Notably present were Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, who received protocol treatment suggesting she is being positioned as a potential successor. “Officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, greeting KJU shows that Kim Ju Ae continues to receive the protocol treatment equivalent to North Korea’s ‘second-in-command’ even when abroad,” noted Cheong Seong-Chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute, a Seoul-based think-tank.
The event followed a weekend where Putin and several other leaders,including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi,attended the largest-ever summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin. While Modi did not attend the parade itself, a viral photo of him laughing with Xi and Putin on the sidelines of the summit highlighted complex geopolitical dynamics. China and Russia further solidified their ties Tuesday with a legally binding deal to build the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline,a project long in development.
This year’s parade echoes China’s 2019 military display commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s rule, during which Xi declared, “no force can stop the Chinese people and the Chinese nation forging ahead.” Xi abolished presidential term limits in 2018, paving the way for perhaps indefinite rule. Putin also attended a similar military parade in Moscow in May.china previously held a military parade in 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World war II, with attendees including then-south Korean President Park Geun-hye, representatives from the U.S. and France,former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder,and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
