Regional
China’s Xi projects power at military parade with Putin and Kim
Putin later thanked Kim for his soldiers’ courageous fighting in the war in Ukraine during a bilateral meeting at China’s State Guesthouse.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the world was facing a choice between peace or war at a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in an unprecedented show of force.
The event to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War Two was largely shunned by Western leaders, with Putin and Kim – pariahs in the West due to the Ukraine war and Kim’s nuclear ambitions – the guests of honour.
Designed to project China’s military might and diplomatic clout, it also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.
“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.
Riding in an open-top limousine, Xi then inspected the troops and cutting-edge military equipment such as hypersonic missiles, underwater drones and a weaponised ‘robot wolf’.
Helicopters trailing large banners and fighter jets flew in formation during a 70-minute showcase that culminated in the release of 80,000 ‘peace’ birds.
Donning a tunic suit in the style worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi earlier greeted more than 25 leaders on the red carpet, including Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto who made a surprise appearance despite widespread protests at home.
Seated between Putin and Kim in the viewing gallery, Xi repeatedly engaged in conversations with both leaders as thousands of troops and materiel passed before them. It marked the first time the trio have appeared together in public.
Putin later thanked Kim for his soldiers’ courageous fighting in the war in Ukraine during a bilateral meeting at China’s State Guesthouse. The North Korean leader said he was willing to do everything he can to help Russia.
In a post directed at Xi on Truth Social as the parade kicked off, Trump highlighted the U.S. role in helping China secure its freedom from Japan during World War Two.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America,” Trump added.
The Kremlin said Putin was not conspiring against the United States and suggested Trump was being ironic in his remarks.
Xi has cast World War Two as a major turning point in the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, in which it overcame the humiliation of Japan’s invasion to become a global powerhouse.
Earlier this week, Xi unveiled his vision of a new world order at a regional security summit, calling for unity against “hegemonism and power politics”, a thinly veiled swipe at his rival across the Pacific Ocean.
“Xi feels confident that the table has turned. It’s China that is back in the driver’s seat now,” said Wen-Ti Sung, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, based in Taiwan.
“It’s been Trumpian unilateralism rather than China’s wolf warrior diplomacy when people talk about the leading source of uncertainty in the international system.”
At a lavish reception after the parade at the Great Hall of the People, Xi told his guests that humanity must not return to the “law of the jungle”.
Beyond the pomp and propaganda, analysts are watching whether Xi, Putin and Kim may signal closer defence relations following a pact signed by Russia and North Korea in June 2024, and a similar alliance between Beijing and Pyongyang, an outcome that may alter the military calculus in the Asia-Pacific region.
Putin has already sealed deeper energy deals with Beijing during his China visit, while the gathering has given the reclusive Kim an opportunity to gain implicit support for his banned nuclear weapons.
It has been 66 years since a North Korean leader last attended a Chinese military parade. Kim also shook hands with the speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly Woo Won-shik before the start of the parade, Woo’s office said.
Pyongyang has rejected Seoul’s recent overtures to stabilise souring relations between the two Koreas, technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Kim travelled to Beijing with his daughter Ju Ae, whom South Korean intelligence consider his most likely successor, although she was not seen alongside him at the parade.
Over the past two years, more than a dozen generals – many formerly close to Xi – have been purged from the People’s Liberation Army in a sweeping corruption crackdown.
“The parade allows Xi to focus the world’s attention on its impressive strides in modernising its military hardware, while overshadowing the stubborn challenges afflicting the PLA, most notably the continued purges rolling through the ranks of its most senior officers,” said Jon Czin, a foreign policy analyst at Brookings Institution, a U.S.-based think tank.
The parade was not only aimed at projecting China’s might to the outside world, but also galvanising patriotic spirit at home, analysts said.
In his keynote address, Xi called the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation “unstoppable”. Civil servants up and down the country have been tasked with watching the parade and writing down their reflections, one of them told Reuters.
U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Iran of violating a ceasefire agreement in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of sweeping military consequences if tensions escalate further.
In a message posted on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Iranian forces “fired bullets” in the vital shipping corridor, describing the incident as a “total violation” of the ceasefire. He alleged that the gunfire was directed at a French vessel and a United Kingdom-flagged freighter, though the claims have not been independently verified.
Trump said U.S. representatives would travel to Islamabad for negotiations, indicating that diplomatic efforts are continuing despite rising tensions.
The comments come amid heightened friction between Washington and Tehran over maritime security. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, has long been a focal point of confrontation between Iran and Western powers.
In his post, Trump also claimed Iran had moved to close the waterway, while asserting that a U.S. “blockade” had already effectively halted traffic. He argued that such a closure would primarily harm Iran, estimating losses of up to $500 million per day.
He added: “In fact, many Ships are headed, right now, to the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, and Alaska, to load up, compliments of the IRGC, always wanting to be ‘the tough guy!’.”
In his sharply worded warning, Trump said that if Iran does not accept what he described as a “fair and reasonable deal,” the United States could target key infrastructure, including power plants and bridges.
“We’re offering a very fair and reasonable DEAL, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran.
“NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! They’ll come down fast, they’ll come down easy and, if they don’t take the DEAL, it will be my Honor to do what has to be done, which should have been done to Iran, by other Presidents, for the last 47 years. IT’S TIME FOR THE IRAN KILLING MACHINE TO END!” he wrote.
Iran has not yet publicly responded to the remarks.
Analysts note that any escalation around the Strait of Hormuz carries significant global risks, given the route’s central role in international energy supplies.
Regional
Ships crossing Hormuz need OK from IRGC, unfreezing funds part of deal, Iran official says
The official added that certain routes through Hormuz would remain open, but added that those would need to be determined as secure by Iran.
All ships can sail through the Strait of Hormuz but this needs to be coordinated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that unfreezing Iranian funds was part of the deal.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that the strait was open after a ceasefire accord was agreed in Lebanon, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he believed a deal to end the Iran war would come “soon”, although the timing remains unclear.
Hundreds of ships and 20,000 seafarers have remained stranded inside the Gulf waiting to pass through the key waterway, which handles about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows.
The Iranian official said transits would be restricted to lanes that Iran deemed safe, adding that military vessels were still prohibited from crossing the strait.
“Releasing Iran’s funds was part of the agreement for reopening the strait,” the official noted, referring to an estimated $30 billion in frozen revenue, generated mainly from oil and gas exports, blocked amid U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
It was not immediately clear if this included or excluded the established Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) lanes for entering and exiting the Gulf used by international shipping since the 1970s.
“Even U.S. vessels would be permitted, excluding military ships,” he said.
The official added that certain routes through Hormuz would remain open, but added that those would need to be determined as secure by Iran.
“Navigation would take place in coordination with Iran, and with authorisation from the Guards and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization to ensure the safety of shipping,” the official said.
Shortly after Araqchi’s statement, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “IRAN HAS JUST ANNOUNCED THAT THE STRAIT OF IRAN IS FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR PASSAGE”.
Trump added that the U.S. military blockade of ships sailing through the strait to and from Iranian ports, announced after talks with Iran last weekend in Pakistan which ended without agreement, remained in place.
Iranian state media, citing an unnamed official, said if the U.S. blockade persists, Tehran will consider it a violation of ceasefire and will re-close strait.
Iran could let ships sail freely through the Omani side of the strait without risk of attack under proposals Tehran has offered in talks with the U.S., providing a deal is clinched to prevent renewed conflict, a source briefed by Tehran told Reuters this week.
Iran has warned of mines placed in the strait, a threat taken seriously by ship owners, insurance underwriters, and firms sending cargo.
That threat is not fully understood and avoidance of the area by ships should be considered, a U.S. Navy advisory said on Friday.
“Status of TSS mine threat is not fully understood. Consider avoidance of that area,” the US Navy’s U.S. NCAGS agency said in the advisory sent to mariners and seen by Reuters.
It was not immediately clear whether the advisory was sent before or after the announcement about the strait being open.
Shipping industry associations said they were reviewing the situation.
“The announcement … by U.S. President Donald Trump that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open is inaccurate. The status of mine threats in the Traffic Separation Scheme is unclear,” said Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer with shipping association BIMCO.
“BIMCO believes shipping companies should consider avoiding the area”.
The UN’s shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), said it was reviewing the situation.
“We are currently verifying the recent announcement related to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, in terms of its compliance with freedom of navigation for all merchant vessels and secure passage,” said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced on Friday that the Strait of Hormuz has been fully reopened to commercial shipping following the ceasefire in Lebanon.
In a statement posted on X, Araghchi said that all commercial vessels will be allowed to pass through the strategic waterway for the remaining period of the ceasefire.
He added that transit will take place along a coordinated route previously announced by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed appreciation on Truth Social for Iran’s decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz completely.
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