China marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two with a massive parade in Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, showcasing its growing military power. Thousands of troops marched in precision drills, while futuristic weaponry rolled past foreign dignitaries including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
Half a world away, in Washington, Donald Trump was watching. “They were hoping I was watching, and I was watching,” the US president remarked during a meeting with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. Trump offered no detailed assessment beyond calling the spectacle “very, very impressive.”
The display was widely interpreted as a clear signal from Beijing: China is asserting itself as a rival center of global power, an alternative to the US-led order of the past century.
Trump’s reactions over several days reflected his characteristic mix of ambivalence, grievance, and concern. On a Tuesday podcast he downplayed the parade, saying he was “not concerned.” But later that night, he took to his Truth Social platform to complain that China had not credited the United States for its role in World War Two. “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America,” he wrote.
Parades have long fascinated Trump. He has staged his own military tributes, most recently in June when tanks and vintage uniforms rolled down Constitution Avenue to mark the US Army’s 250th birthday. But while Trump’s events lean on nostalgia, China’s parade blended historical symbolism with a forward-looking message: that the “American century” may be giving way to a Chinese-crafted future.
Analysts warn this is part of a broader strategy. “It’s the first step in a concerted effort to rewrite the rules of the road,” said Richard Wilkie, a former US secretary of veterans’ affairs. He noted that China’s nationalist forces, not the Communist army, played a larger role in Japan’s defeat, but Beijing’s narrative now casts itself as the pivotal power.
The parade was not the only sign of shifting alignments. Earlier in the week, Xi Jinping met with Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, a meeting that hinted at closer ties among nations hit hard by Trump’s tariff policies. For some, the symbolism was stark: while Trump seeks to rebuild American power through tariffs and protectionism, China is weaving new alliances.
Back in Washington, Trump faces his own battles. A US appellate court recently ruled that many of his tariffs rested on shaky legal grounds, raising doubts about whether his “America First” trade regime will withstand judicial scrutiny. Trump has vowed to take the fight to the Supreme Court.
For now, China’s carefully choreographed display highlights the risks and rewards of Trump’s confrontational strategy. It may bring him a “second American golden age,” as he promises or accelerate the rise of Beijing as a global military and economic counterweight.
