The military might of the People's Republic of China was on full display in a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two on Wednesday.
Thousands of miles away, at the White House in Washington DC, Donald Trump was paying attention.
They were hoping I was watching, and I was watching, he said. The American president didn't detail his thoughts about the massive celebration sprawled across Tiananmen Square, except that it was very, very impressive. The message from China – to Trump and to the world - however, seems fairly clear.
There is a new and growing centre of power in the world and a new alternative to the American-backed order of the past century.
Trump's remarks during a meeting in the Oval Office with Polish President Karol Nawrocki shed little light on the matter. They were the culmination of a typically circuitous series of reflections by the American president on the happenings in China over the past several days. It was a mix of ambivalence, grievance and concern.
During a Tuesday podcast interview, Trump was nonchalant about the parade, saying he was not concerned about the Chinese show of force in front of leaders like Putin and Kim Jong Un.
However, by Tuesday night, he was grousing on Truth Social that China wasn't giving credit to the US for its support in World War Two.
Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America, he wrote. Trump's mixed feelings reflect a broader concern about the implications of China's rising strength.
While Beijing’s parade emphasized its military advancements, it also advanced a historical narrative aimed at claiming a more prominent role in the fight against fascism and imperialism. This, experts argue, indicates a strategic effort by China to fabricate a history that favors its contemporary geopolitical aspirations.
The spectacle in Tiananmen Square, alongside Trump's unpredictable trade policies, paints a picture of a shifting geopolitical landscape, where alliances are ever-evolving and may pose significant risks for the United States moving forward.
As Trump navigates these murky waters, with tariffs affecting global dynamics, many are concerned that his high-stakes strategies might favor immediate electoral goals over long-term geopolitical stability.
