An enduring image for China – and the worldpublished at 05:52 British Summer Time
05:52 BST
Laura Bicker
Reporting from Beijing
Image source, Getty Images
One of the most enduring images of this military parade took place before the first cannon was fired.
President Xi welcoming North Korea’s Kim Jong Un with a long handshake, then moving onto greet Russia’s Vladimir Putin before all three walked together to watch the parade was sheer political theatre – and it is this meeting, not just the weapons and troops on show that appears to have grabbed the attention of US leader Donald Trump.
This was the first time all three leaders have been seen in public together, and they really picked their moment.
What followed was a choreographed spectacle of precision, power and patriotism.
The choir stood in perfectly even rows, the troops goose stepped past in unison and each strike of the ground echoed through the stands of 50,000 guests in Tiananmen Square.
Then came the big weapons – a new ICBM, laser weapons and robotic wolves – and the crowd reached for their phones.
The parade finished on a crowd pleasing fly past before thousands of doves and balloons were released into the skies over the capital.
This display to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, was not just a look at where China has been, or how far China has come. It showcased where China is going: Xi playing the role of a global leader prepared to stand alongside two of the most sanctioned leaders in the world.
And at his feet a military which is being built to rival the west.