"Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war"

On September 3, 2025, the People's Republic of China held a massive event commemorating the 80th anniversary of China's victory over the Japanese Empire. It is no exaggeration to say that the event was one of truly epic proportions. Everything from the pre-parade pageantry to the military parade and the crowds gathered was jaw dropping. Even the many doves released at the end to mark the conclusion of the parade left an impression. China spared no expense. Every element of the parade had to be perfectly aligned, cohesive and in harmony.

China is a nation that is incredibly proud of its history. You could feel this pride and reverence throughout the parade. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping spoke of the event, saying that "It is an occasion for us to remember history, honor fallen heroes, cherish peace and create a better future." The songs played by the PLA band carry great historical meaning and significance to the Chinese people. March of the Volunteers, March of the PLA, Three Rules and Eight Notices, and March of Torrent Steel are all steeped in the decades-long national liberation conflict that consumed China during the 20th century.

China, like Korea and Vietnam and many other nations that underwent decolonization in the 20th century, have a profound understanding of what it's like to face "bullies". These nations faced several empires that waged brutal wars against them. The People's Liberation Army had to fight many wars against better armed adversaries in order to finally obtain victory.

The incredible dedication and pride of the Chinese soldier during the parade was impossible to ignore. Every formation that marched through Tiananmen Square that day did so with great purpose. The rousing music from the military band made the parade feel truly powerful. Patriotic pride and spirit was in abundance.

The most striking moment of the parade came when the banner formation representing 80 "hero unit troops" entered the square. Here "March of Torrent Steel" started playing. Chinese troops appeared, each proudly holding the flag of their respective distinguished unit, representing glory from the past. It evoked the image of what in another time would have been knights in armor riding on horseback, with their respective banners in hand.

This display of patriotic pride and honor comes at a time when the world order is in what can only be described as a state of implosion. Multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the International Criminal Court have proven powerless to stop wars and threats to global peace all around the world. Faced with the growing economic power of the non-Western world, the United States has countered with tariffs as a means of preserving its global hegemony. The United States long benefited from the free market, but now it wants to slam the door shut and eschew competition.

"History carries the legacy of the past and inspires the future." In saying these words, Xi honored China's history, asserting that a nation's history plays an important factor in also shaping the nations' future. In a way it forms the nation's identity. China is a nation that was the victim of military aggression and imperialism for many years; it's struggle for national liberation is a core part of its national identity.

China has been a major force this century, with a formidable military and significant economic and diplomatic influence worldwide. Yet with all this might, China has started no war. No foreign government has been toppled at the behest of Beijing. The PLA maintains only one overseas military base, a relatively modest outpost in Djibouti meant for combatting piracy in the straits connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

China instead chooses to take part in global peacekeeping, ranking amongst the highest contributors in peacekeepers. The United States, on the other hand, continues to unilaterally attack and violate the national sovereignty of many countless nations. The US has engaged in 393 military interventions since 1776, and this decade alone has its fingerprints all over every major armed conflict and humanitarian disaster that has taken place. The US just can't help going ahead with its regime change operations, in spite of most of these ending in abject failure.

The US government and its allies, in the eyes of Beijing, are creating the conditions for a new cold war.

In his speech, Xi warns that "History cautions us that humanity rises and falls together. Only when all countries and nations treat each other as equals, coexist in peace and support each other, can we uphold common security, eradicate the root cause of war and prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies" Here lays the fundamental issue that underpins the fracture in the global order. From the perspective of China, other BRICS nations, and many more countries outside of the "Collective West", there exists a blatant double standard. They don't feel like they are being treated as equal stakeholders in the global order.

Whereas in the past the world was divided by political ideology, today the dividing line is much more stark yet simple at the same time. The choice is sovereignty or hegemony. Does a nation want to be sovereign? Or does a nation want to accept and submit to the global hegemony of the US-led collective West and its "rules-based international order"? This explains why countries such as India, Thailand and Indonesia, decades-long US allies and staunch opponents of Communism, have developed a more independent foreign policy in recent years. India in particular has stunned the world by resisting US threats of tariffs and moving closer to China. The two nations have many times been on the verge of going to war with each other. They are ancient rivals, yet because of the United States and its threats, they are pushed together. There is no grand anti-American conspiracy here like Donald Trump claimed. There are only the national interests of two sovereign nations.

This is not to say that China is completely benign in its intentions. This is an incredibly proud nation with enormous ambition, and much has been said in China of a "Chinese Century". Even Xi Jinping in his speech at the parade declared that China's rise was "unstoppable". China has its own interests take precedence before anything. Yet nations all over the world, from Africa to Latin America to Asia do business with them. China has proven to be a good partner, reliable and trustworthy and quite capable when it comes to building infrastructure and supplying cheap goods.

Whereas with the US, there are no such projects on the table. All the talk of US investment in Africa went nowhere. The Marshall Plan is a distant memory, and there is no serious proposal on the table to help build up the economies of Global South countries. US aid comes with strings attached and is a tool of US soft power. The example of Lebanon is striking. The pro-US government there is being "advised" to disarm Hezbollah in order to obtain reconstruction funds. Attempting to disarm the Hezbollah movement would spark civil war and the disintegration of the state. The US and its allies don't care. What only matters to them is achieving their foreign policy goals. Lebanon's well-being is not taken into account.

If we truly care about the concept of the rule of law and the stability of the global order, we have to recognize that there is very much a right and a wrong here. As flawed as China's government is, when it comes to preserving global peace and order they are on the right side of history. They have a government that is competent, and a foreign affairs ministry that has serious diplomats who are empowered to negotiate and reach understandings through diplomacy. Meanwhile, the United States invites negotiators to discuss peace, and then proceeds to kill those same negotiators in cold blood. Iran and Palestine found out the hard way. The United States has levied sanctions against many countries, and when those don't work they proceed to threaten other countries with punitive tariffs that go against the spirit of free trade and capitalism. The United States is not serious about diplomacy, and treats world affairs as a zero-sum game.

On the 80th anniversary commemorating its victory over fascism, China raised its voice and displayed an alternative vision to the world. A message of optimism where all nations are equal and respected, with no threats and hegemonic empires. An economic and military superpower, which turned to peace rather than war, and diplomacy instead of coercion. It was a distinctly Chinese holiday, but at its core there was a celebration of humanity. and what is possible when people are united instead of divided.

The full text of Chinese Premier Xi Jinping's full speech delivered on September 3, 2025 at the commemoration, translated into English. Full text of President Xi's speech at V-Day commemorative meeting - CGTN.

Replay of military parade held on September 3, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HZNCWr6JTs&pp=ygUcY2hpbmVzZSBtaWxpdGFyeSBwYXJhZGUgMjAyNQ%3D%3D