Xi Jinping says world faces ‘peace or war’, as Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un join him for military parade
Guardian1 day
China Holds Military Parade with Putin, Kim Jong Un
Above: Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin after a military parade in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025. Image copyright: Sergey Bobylev/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
China's transformation from poverty to prosperity represents humanity's greatest peaceful achievement. Unlike Western powers that historically used military force for economic dominance, China pursues cooperative win-win development through trade and multilateral initiatives. With defensive military policies, nuclear no-first-use commitments, and Confucian stability principles, China's rise only strengthens global peace.
Anti-China narrative
Beneath a facade of peaceful rejuvenation, Communist China's aggressive military buildup and a darkening domestic outlook under a personalist dictatorship signal a perilous shift. As President Xi Jinping prepares for "extreme scenarios," the world stands on the precipice of a whole new global conflict, a direct consequence of a regime that has abandoned its decades-long 'peaceful rise' policy for dangerous new belligerence.