History Re-written in Beijing: Spectacle, Power, and a Hungry Dragon
China claims a WWII victory it never fought, Putin nods approvingly, and the PLA parades untested might. Beneath the doves and flyovers lies a warning: Beijing’s appetite grows insatiable.
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At its military parade on Wednesday, China showcased hypersonic missiles to sink ships, drones that serve as wingmen and nuclear-capable ballistic missiles that can strike the continental United States. The jets that screamed across the sky and the columns of missiles and armored vehicles that rolled past Tiananmen Square in Beijing provided a rare look at China’s new weapons. The massive military parade, presided over by China’s leader Xi Jinping, was a warning to his country’s prospective foes. The anti-ship missiles seemed tailor-made to menace American forces in the Asia-Pacific region. Long-range rocket launchers magnified Beijing’s threat to Taiwan, the self-governed island democracy. The armored vehicles that can be dropped from planes appeared to extend China’s ability to defend its growing global interests. If one theme stood out, analysts said, it was that the People’s Liberation Army is betting on unmanned systems to gain a potential edge in battle. One of the parade’s strongest warnings to U.S. forces was in four new models of anti-ship missiles, three of which were hypersonic, according to state media, meaning they travel at least five times the speed of sound and can maneuver to evade defenses. “Beijing’s decision to showcase these weapons sends a not-so-subtle message to Taiwan and Washington that China has the ability to threaten American warships,” said Timothy R. Heath, a senior researcher at the global policy institute RAND who studies the Chinese military - NYT
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were captured privately talking about living to at least 150 years old on the sidelines of China's massive Victory Day parade in Beijing. According to audio picked up on CCTV, the two were overheard musing about the possibility of immortality through organ transplants and advanced medical procedures. “Earlier, people rarely lived to 70, but these days at 70 you are still a child," Xi told Putin according to the translator in Russian. “With the development of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality,” Putin replied, according to translation in Mandarin. “Predictions are, this century, there is also a chance of living to 150,” Xi responded. China has a long history of organ harvesting from executed prisoners, which was officially banned in 2015. That hasn't curtailed the practice, however, with the government turning to targeted minorities for organs, including the Uyghurs facing repression in the western part of the country.
Putin and Xi are both 72. Last year, The Times of London reported that Kremlin officials had directed scientists to fast-track anti-aging research, focusing on cellular degeneration, cognitive decline and strengthening the immune system - Politico
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing with a personal toilet in tow and forced his lackeys to erase any trace of his DNA due to fears of it falling into the hands of his enemies, according to intelligence reports. Footage captured in China following the dictator’s bilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday showed two members of his entourage meticulously wiping down every object he touched or interacted with in an attempt to keep even the most minor details about his health or physical condition completely private. “The physical condition of the supreme leader has a major impact on the North Korean regime,” a South Korean intelligence officer told Japanese media. “North Korea makes a particular effort to seal off anything related to that, such as hair and excrement.” A private bathroom located on board Kim’s armored train is also said to be the only toilet he uses during foreign trips, so that his excrement cannot be obtained and studied by intelligence officials. Putin reportedly also does the same, employing a personal “toilet searcher” who collects his bodily waste from toilets during trips abroad - Daily Beast
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced questions over the attendance of former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews at China's military parade, which has drawn criticism from the federal Opposition and a former state leader. At the event's red carpet, Andrews was pictured shaking hands with Xi Jinping. He later posed in a group photo that included Xi, as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Australia's ambassador to China was not in attendance. Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie described the event as a "parade for dictators" and a "celebration of the Chinese Communist Party" - SBS
President Vladimir Putin has thanked the North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un for supplying troops to fight alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
The comment came during a meeting between the two allies on Wednesday at the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing. Hours earlier, the Russian and the North Korean leaders were Chinese President Xi Jinping's guests of honour at a military parade in China's capital to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
In his remarks to Kim, Putin spoke warmly of their countries' alliance, which was strengthened last June by the signing of a defence pact. Putin then praised the bravery of the troops Pyongyang has sent Moscow to help with its war against Kyiv. "Your soldiers fought courageously and heroically," Putin said. "I would like to note that we will never forget the sacrifices that your armed forces and the families of your servicemen have suffered," he added. North Korea has sent roughly 15,000 troops since last year to Russia, according to South Korean intelligence reports. Thousands of them are believed to have been killed or wounded during fighting in Russia's Kursk region, where the Ukrainian military gained territory in a surprise offensive in August 2024. In return for its military support, experts believe that Moscow has sent North Korea goods including military equipment and oil - Euronews
The UAE on Wednesday warned Israel that annexation of the occupied West Bank would constitute a red line for the country and undermine the vision and spirit of the Abraham Accords. “Annexation of the West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE,” said Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs and Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. “It would severely undermine the vision and spirit of [Abraham] Accords, end the pursuit of regional integration and would alter the widely-shared consensus on what the trajectory of this conflict should be – two states living side by side in peace, prosperity and security.” Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Wednesday presented a plan to annex the majority of the West Bank, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “make a historic decision to apply Israeli sovereignty to all open areas in Judea and Samaria”. Israel has taken other steps in recent weeks that undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state, in particular approving construction of E1 – an illegal settlement with thousands of homes near Jerusalem. “We call on the Israeli government to suspend these plans. Extremists, of any kind, cannot be allowed to dictate the region’s trajectory. Peace requires courage, persistence, and a refusal to let violence define our choices,” Ms Nusseibeh said - The National (UAE)
At least 44 Palestinians have been killed across the coastal enclave since the early hours of this morning, medical sources at Gaza hospitals say. Among those dead, 33 were killed in besieged Gaza City. Israel has stepped up its destruction of Gaza City as it plans to seize Gaza’s largest urban centre and forcibly displace about one million Palestinians to concentration zones in the south - Al Jazeera
Poland’s right-wing and largely ceremonial president, Karol Nawrocki, arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a meeting and lunch with President Trump, a visit that highlights divisions within the biggest economic and military power on the European Union’s eastern fringe. Mr. Trump, who welcomed Mr. Nawrocki in the Oval Office and endorsed him before his election in June, has shunned Poland’s center-left government, which controls the country’s foreign and defense policy. In his so far fruitless pursuit of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Mr. Trump has largely ignored Poland and other countries that border Ukraine and see Russia as a dangerous aggressor. Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Nawrocki has helped calm anxiety in Poland that its voice is not being heard. But it has also laid bare differences between Poland’s government, headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a critic of Mr. Trump in the past, and right-wing political forces aligned with Mr. Nawrocki. According to Polish media reports, Mr. Nawrocki rejected a request from the government that it be represented in his delegation traveling to the United States. Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, is also visiting Washington but not the White House - NYT
The digital token backing the Trump family’s new cryptocurrency venture generated a paper windfall estimated at $5 billion after its trading debut on Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported. WLFI, the token tied to the World Liberty Financial venture, was initially non-transferable, but since Monday, it can be bought and sold on the market like a stock. World Liberty said founders’ tokens remain “locked,” meaning they cannot yet be sold, but the launch of public trading gives the holdings a market value and likely makes WLFI the family’s most valuable asset. The move marks a sharp reversal for US President Donald Trump, once a vocal crypto skeptic who dismissed Bitcoin as “a scam.” Now, government ethics experts and Democratic lawmakers are criticizing the family’s venture, citing potential conflicts of interest stemming from the Trumps’ regulatory influence and possible insider transactions - Semafor
The Australian embassy in Japan issued a warning to travellers to behave themselves after an Instagrammer drank offerings from a Japanese burial site, provoking widespread anger online. In the most recent example of fame-seeking foreigners riling locals, Lochie Jones -- reportedly an Australian tourist -- posted a clip of himself swigging from a can placed on a headstone as an offering. Moments earlier, he's seen flipping a coin to decide whether to open the beverage, likely left as a gift for ancestors in a gesture common in Japan. He's then seen burping in front of the grave. The video -- which was posted last month -- prompted angry comments online. "Graveyards are sacred places in any country... I want (the government) to make sure he can never enter Japan (again)," one X user said. On Tuesday, the Australian embassy warned on Facebook that travellers must ensure "appropriate behaviour" while visiting Japan, without explicitly referring to the video. The embassy, which did not respond to a request for comment from AFP, said on Facebook that it "works closely with Japanese authorities to ensure that travellers from Australia respect and observe local laws and rules" - AFP
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