China’s military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II is underway in Beijing on Wednesday, with Chinese President Xi Jinping hosting more than two dozen foreign leaders.
The heavily-choreographed event will feature a parade of missiles and tanks rumbling past Tiananmen Square, soldiers goose-stepping in formation and fighter jets roaring over the capital, as China showcases its military prowess.
President Xi Jinping delivered an opening speech at the reviewing stand overlooking Tiananmen Square, before reviewing the troops in a limousine, occasionally saying, “Greetings, comrades!”
More than two dozen foreign leaders, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s junta and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, were at the venue site, according to a broadcast feed by state media, with Western leaders largely absent.
The parade is designed to showcase some of the country’s newest weapons and commemorates the country’s “victory against Japanese aggression and the world’s victory against fascism.”
The parate route will move along Chang’an Avenue, the city’s central east–west artery, passing Tiananmen Square and the entrance to the Forbidden City.
Here are some scenes from the parade:
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, (L-R) Russia’s President Vladimir Putin walks with China’s President Xi Jinping and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025.
Sergey Bobylev | Afp | Getty Images
The China flag is hoisted during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China.
Kevin Frayer | Getty Images News | Getty Images
China’s President Xi Jinping starts his inspection of the troops during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025.
Pedro Pardo | Afp | Getty Images
A military veteran attends the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China.
Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) band at Tiananmen Square ahead of a military parade to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II held in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Soldiers rehearse prior to the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China.
Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Members of the People’s Liberation Army rehearse on Chang’an Avenue at Tiananmen Square ahead of a military parade to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II held in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
A soldier stands in a limousine during a rehearsal hours before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) (Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Greg Baker | Afp | Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Soldiers rehearse prior to the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day military parade serves as a powerful display of national pride and military power. This year’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances as it presents itself as an alternative global leader. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Soldiers rehearse prior to the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day military parade serves as a powerful display of national pride and military power. This year’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances as it presents itself as an alternative global leader. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Kevin Frayer | Getty Images News | Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Security guards observe rehearsal prior to the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day military parade serves as a powerful display of national pride and military power. This year’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances as it presents itself as an alternative global leader. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty Images
BEIJING, CHINA – SEPTEMBER 03: Soldiers rehearse prior to the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Tiananmen Square on September 03, 2025, in Beijing, China. China’s Victory Day military parade serves as a powerful display of national pride and military power. This year’s parade carries heightened geopolitical weight with the attendance of leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Narendra Modi, underlining China’s diplomatic alliances as it presents itself as an alternative global leader. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty Images
CNBC’s Victoria Yeo contributed to this report.
