Beijing: China on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, held a massive military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The significant event was hosted in the capital, Beijing. In the country's largest ever military parade, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, showcasing China's military prowess and vision for the future. The last time China hosted a Victory Day military parade was 10 years ago. That was the first time China organised a grand military parade to commemorate the end of the war.
Who attended the event?
Dozens of world leaders attended the major event in Beijing, and topping the guest list were Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un. This was the first time Putin, Kim, and Xi Jinping had seen together in public. North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who arrived in China early on Tuesday, has attended a Chinese military parade in 66 years. North Korea's founder and Kim’s late grandfather, Kim Il Sung, was the last Korean leader to attend a military parade in China. Other leaders who attended the event included Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko, among others.
What is China's Victory Day military parade all about
China observes September 3 as the anniversary of its victory in the struggle against Japan in 1945, when Japan was defeated in World War II. China's victory in 1945 was actually part of Japan's overall defeat in World War II, in which Japan was forced to surrender after the atomic bombings by the United States. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident or Lugou Bridge Incident was a clash between Japanese and Chinese troops near Beijing on July 7, 1937. The incident escalated into the full-scale Second Sino-Japanese War, an invasion of China by Japan.
What was the Marco Polo Bridge incident?
When Japanese troops requested entry into the town of Wanping to search for a missing soldier, but the Chinese garrison refused, it escalated into a dispute, and the tension led to an exchange of fire that continued for days. A small dispute was converted into a battle, and when it could not be resolved, the battle turned into war. Due to this war, China suffered, and around 20 million Chinese died.
China became the primary battleground
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, China became the primary battleground in the East when the Nationalist Party of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, set aside their differences to form the Chinese United Front to fight the common enemy. After the initial setback, the Chinese Communists adopted guerrilla warfare to fight the superior Japanese forces. The Chinese forces tied down a large part of the Japanese army, which was crucial for the Allied effort in the Pacific.
Dropping of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs
In 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which severely weakened Japan's ability to continue fighting. The Soviet Union also declared war on Japan and invaded Japanese-controlled territories like Manchuria. After facing both sides, Japan was forced to surrender, which officially ended the war.
China's victory and the celebration
After Japan surrendered, which led to the end of the war, China celebrated Victory over Japan Day on September 3, 1945.
