Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared his country’s rise to be “unstoppable” during a military parade at which Beijing showcased its latest weaponry.
The event, marking 80 years since the end of World War II and attended by dozens of other mostly autocratic leaders, capped a week in which Xi hosted a major summit of largely Beijing-aligned nations.
One longtime British diplomat said the aim was “to send a message of deterrence to other countries that the PRC is not to be messed with.” Yet the limits of Xi’s appeal were on display: One domestic dissident projected criticism of Beijing onto an apartment building in an astounding act of defiance that “turned the tables on China’s surveillance state,” The New York Times said.