• Putin, Kim, Shehbaz, Pezeshkian among world leaders who witness massive parade in Tiananmen Square
• ‘Hot mic’ catches Xi and Putin discussing biotechnology, prospects of prolonging human life
• PM meets Chinese businessmen, tours Beijing’s Anzhen Hospital
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping warned the world was facing a choice between peace or war, as China showcased its military arsenal at a massive parade on Wednesday.
“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also in attendance, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and a host of other world leaders.
The event to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War II was designed to project China’s military might and diplomatic clout.
It managed to get a rise out of US President Donald Trump, who wrote an acidic post on his Truth Social Platform.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America,” Trump added.
The Kremlin said Putin was not conspiring against the United States and suggested Trump was being ironic in his remarks.
Military hardware and a ‘hot mic’
Riding in an open-top limousine, Xi then inspected the troops and cutting-edge military equipment such as hypersonic missiles, underwater drones and a weaponised ‘robot wolf’.
Helicopters trailing large banners and fighter jets flew in formation during a 70-minute showcase that culminated in the release of 80,000 ‘peace’ birds.
New underwater drones and supersonic missiles counted among the gear on display, as well as the ICBMs.
Donning a tunic suit in the style worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi earlier greeted more than 25 leaders on the red carpet, including Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto who made a surprise appearance despite widespread protests at home.
Seated between Putin and Kim in the viewing gallery during the parade, Xi repeatedly engaged in conversations with both leaders as thousands of troops and materiel passed before them. It marked the first time the trio have appeared together in public. At a lavish reception after the parade at the Great Hall of the People, Xi told his guests that humanity must not return to the “law of the jungle”.
Earlier, when Russian President Vladimir Putin walked shoulder to shoulder with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a hot mic caught them discussing organ transplants and the possibility that humans could live to 150 years old.
The moment was carried on the livestream provided by state broadcaster CCTV.
As Putin and Xi walked toward the Tiananmen rostrum where they viewed the parade with Kim, Putin’s translator could be heard saying in Chinese: “Biotechnology is continuously developing.”
The translator added, after an inaudible passage: “Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and (you can) even achieve immortality.”
In response, Xi, who was off camera, can be heard responding in Chinese: “Some predict that in this century humans may live to 150 years old.”
Kim was smiling and looking in the direction of Putin and Xi, but it was not clear if the conversation was being translated for him.
PM Shehbaz’s schedule
On Wednesday, PM Shehbaz visited Beijing’s Anzhen Hospital, and directed Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to establish simple, robust and sustainable infrastructure at Islamabad’s under-construction hospitals, including Jinnah Medical Complex, to deliver high-quality medical facilities, modelled on Chinese standards.
He also held a series of high-level meetings with senior executives of China’s leading enterprises in Beijing to boost business-to-business (B2B) investment cooperation between the two countries.
The prime minister emphasized that industrial cooperation remains the cornerstone of Pakistan-China economic cooperation and a defining pillar of the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it enters into its second phase.
He invited Chinese companies to consider Pakistan as their preferred investment destination, particularly for relocating industries into Special Economic Zones.
Syed Irfan Raza in Islamabad also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2025
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