China on Wednesday held a military parade in central Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of its victory in World War II, where Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli attended alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
The parade showcased hundreds of advanced weapons and 10,000 troops, underscoring China’s growing military might. Since becoming president, Xi Jinping has taken major steps to modernize the People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest standing army. The event drew 26 heads of state and government, high-level representatives from various countries, and leaders of international and regional organizations, with Russia, North Korea, and Pakistan prominently represented.
According to Xinhua, this was the first military parade since China embarked on its “new journey” of modernization under Xi. Beijing has set 2035 as its target year to essentially complete modernization. The parade was followed by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and Xi’s bilateral talks with Russia, North Korea, and other invitees.
China’s visible support for Russia and its partners is expected to complicate possible negotiations between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv to end the war in Ukraine. From the SCO summit to the victory parade, Beijing succeeded in bringing together countries whose relations with the US are already strained, many of whom were targets of Donald Trump’s tariff wars. Observers say this signals the weakening of the US-led order and the rise of a China-centered alternative.
Reacting to the presence of Putin and Kim in Beijing, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un as you conspire against the United States of America.” On Aug 15, Trump and Putin had met in Alaska to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war, but no progress has been made since. In the same meeting, Trump also expressed interest in meeting Kim again, recalling their earlier encounters during his previous term.
China’s challenge to the US-led international system has become sharper since Trump began his second term as president. Soon after returning to the White House, Trump cut large portions of US aid to poor countries in health, education, and agriculture. Many in the Global South, facing resource gaps, have turned to China for assistance. While Beijing has not explicitly pledged to fill the void, it has gradually stepped in, drawing these countries closer.
The Trump administration believes it can handle Russia, China, and others individually, abandoning the coalition-based approach of former president Joe Biden. In practice, this has weakened US alliances. Trump has threatened to withhold security guarantees and imposed heavy tariffs even on close partners, pushing some to seek alternatives in Beijing. India, for example, once a key counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific, was hit with a 50 percent tariff. As a result, India-US relations have nosedived, and New Delhi is now cautiously expanding trade ties with Beijing after easing border tensions.
Meanwhile, China, which is embroiled in tariff disputes with Washington since Trump’s first term, has been deepening outreach to neighboring states and Africa. Alongside its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it has rolled out new frameworks such as the Global Security Initiative, Global Civilizational Initiative, Global Development Initiative, and now the proposed Global Governance Initiative. These are presented as alternatives to the US-led order, seeking broader international support.
At the SCO summit, both China and Russia openly challenged the US-led order. In his address, Xi declared that the world had entered a “new period of turbulence and transformation,” adding that global governance stood at a crossroads. “History tells us that in difficult times, we must uphold peaceful coexistence, strengthen confidence in win-win cooperation, and advance in line with the trend of history,” Xi said, introducing his Global Governance Initiative as a step toward a more equitable world system and a “shared future for humanity.” Russia, for its part, has long been advocating for a new order to rival the existing one.
For Nepal, Oli’s participation in both the SCO summit and the military parade reflects deepening ties with China. During his earlier tenure, he signed a series of strategic agreements with Beijing, including a BRI framework. His latest visit will likely strengthen perceptions of him as a pro-China leader in New Delhi and Western capitals, raising questions about Nepal’s ability to maintain balanced relations with all major powers.
Domestically, Oli will face pressure to justify his presence at China’s victory parade while still upholding Nepal’s policy of neutrality and non-alignment. He took a careful step this time by including senior Nepali Congress leaders and ministers in his delegation. At the same time, his upcoming visit to India will test his ability to project balance and assure critics that Nepal is not tilting toward any single power.
