2025 China Victory Day Parade


The 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War was a military parade held on Chang'an Avenue, Beijing, on 3 September 2025 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Second World War, collectively termed by the Chinese government as the "World Anti-Fascist War".
Over 12,000 troops of the People's Liberation Army participated in the parade. This event marked the fourth large-scale celebration since Xi Jinping became the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012. This parade marked the 19th major military parade since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 and the second to commemorate the victory over Japan through a military parade, following the 2015 parade. A total of 26 world leaders attended the parade, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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Preparations

The official logo for the event was officially unveiled by the State Council Information Office on 13 May 2025. Senior PLA officer Wu Zeke stated in June 2025 that the parade will feature "new-type combat capabilities" as well as a speech by CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.

Opening remarks

In his opening remarks, Xi stated that "through immense national sacrifice, the Chinese people made a major contribution to saving human civilization and safeguarding world peace" and that the People's Liberation Army has always been a "heroic force that the party and the people can fully trust." He went on to say that "Today, humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war," that the Chinese people "firmly stand on the right side of history," that China will "never intimidated by any bullies" and that the "rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" was unstoppable.

Parade groups

The following are the parade groups attended the parade marchpast:

Marchpast column

In order of appearance:

Mobile column

In order of appearance:

Flypast column

In order of appearance:

Music setting

The music is conducted by the Central Military Band of PLA, with the music setting below:
SessionSongs
PreludeAlong the Songhua River, On the Taihang Mount, Yellow River Cantata, Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China
Arrival of guests and flag raisingWelcome March, March of the Volunteers, Bugle of Attendance
InspectionBugle of Inspection, Bugle of Salute, Military Anthem of the People's Liberation Army, Inspection March, The People's Army is Loyal to the Party, Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention, Song of a Strong Army, Rush to Glory, Please Inspect
Ground MarchpastBugle of Marchpast, Marchpast March, March of the Steel Torrent, People's Army March, People's Navy Marches Forward, Chinese Air Force March, March of Information Thunderstorm, March of Unmanned Intelligent Victory, Logistics Support Force March, Rocket Force March
Flyby squadI Love the Motherland's Blue Skies, Victory March
End of ParadeOde to the Motherland

Reception

The reception was held at 11:30 am BST. CCP general secretary Xi Jinping received guests from the party, government and military, veterans and their descendants, and invitees from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and the diaspora.

Gala performance

A gala performance was held in 8pm BST, the sequence of the performance is listed below:
ActProgrammeSongs & Dances
Prelude1. Symphonic Poem "Remember the Mountains and Rivers"
Act 1: Rage, Yellow River2. Dramatic scene "The Chinese Nation at the Most Critical Period"The Sungari River
Act 1: Rage, Yellow River3. Song-and-dance “The Blood-Stained Birch Forest”
Act 1: Rage, Yellow River4. Dance “Elegy ”
Act 1: Rage, Yellow River5. Recitation & chorus “Roar, Yellow River”
Act 2: Red Star Over China6. Poetic scene recitation “This Beam of Light”Ode to Yan'an
Act 2: Red Star Over China7. Song-and-dance “Yan’an! Yan’an!”Northern Shaanxi folk song “The East Is Red”
Act 2: Red Star Over China7. Song-and-dance “Yan’an! Yan’an!”Shaanxi–Gansu–Ningxia folk song “Great Military–Civilian Production”
Act 2: Red Star Over China7. Song-and-dance “Yan’an! Yan’an!”Song “Anti-Japanese Military and Political University Anthem”
Act 2: Red Star Over China7. Song-and-dance “Yan’an! Yan’an!”Shaanxi–Gansu–Ningxia folk song “A Tower Ten-Thousand-Zhang High Rises from the Plain”
Act 2: Red Star Over China8. Dramatic scene “Cave Dwellings and Trenches”Children's rhyme “Big Red Dates”
Act 2: Red Star Over China8. Dramatic scene “Cave Dwellings and Trenches”Northern Shaanxi folk song “Song of the Anti-Japanese Soldiers Setting Out”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength9. Group dance & group song “Beacon Fires Everywhere”Song “Song of the Qiongya Independent Column”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength9. Group dance & group song “Beacon Fires Everywhere”“Guerrilla Song”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength9. Group dance & group song “Beacon Fires Everywhere”“Tunnel Warfare”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength9. Group dance & group song “Beacon Fires Everywhere”“Pluck My Beloved Rustic Pipa”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength9. Group dance & group song “Beacon Fires Everywhere”“Go to the Enemy’s Rear”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength10. Dramatic play “The Eternal Unit Number”
Act 3: An Invincible Strength11. Men's group dance “Fight to the Bitter End”Song “On the Taihang Mountains”
Act 4: A Shared Dawn12. Dance “Riding the Wind”
Act 4: A Shared Dawn13. Situational singing “Immortal Melody”Song “The Little Path”
Act 4: A Shared Dawn13. Situational singing “Immortal Melody”Song “Red River Valley”
Act 4: A Shared Dawn13. Situational singing “Immortal Melody”Song "Ah, Friends, Goodbye"
Act 4: A Shared Dawn14. Song “Medal of the Nameless”
Act 5: Justice Everlasting15. Dialogic scene “As You Wish”“I Love You, China”
Act 5: Justice Everlasting16. Ceremonial guard performance “Guarding Justice”“March of the Steel Torrent”
Act 5: Justice Everlasting17. Lead singing & chorus “Unstoppable”
Epilogue18. Song-and-dance “Shared Destiny”

Invited guests and dignitaries

According to the Chinese assistant foreign minister Hong Lei, a total of 26 world leaders attended the parade. The following leaders and dignitaries attended the parade:

China

Taiwan

International

Heads of state and government

Parliament speakers and deputy prime ministers

High-level representatives

International organizations

Former politicians

Related events

Human lifespan hot mic

A occurred as the leaders are walking on their way up to Tiananmen Gate, with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin discussing organ transplants and "immortality". This conversation is caught recorded by China Central Television's public broadcast. During the conversation, Putin spoke about biotechnology and "human organs will continue to be transplanted, and people will became younger and younger". Xi responded Putin, talking about how people predicted that life expectancy can reach up to 150 years and how 70 years old still is quite young compared to the past. At the press conference during the evening, Putin clarified to Russian media that he and Xi did discuss about the topic of human lifespan. The Chinese government subsequently censored the exchange, ordering news agencies such as Reuters to remove it.

Inter-Korean meeting

While waiting to watch the parade at the Tiananmen Gate Tower, South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the two shook hands and had a brief conversation. According to Woo's entourage, Woo said "We met again after 7 years" and Kim replied with the single word "yes". Woo also met with Putin and Putin asked Woo if there is any message he can relay to Kim, with Woo responding by saying that it is important to build peace in the Korean Peninsula despite difficulties.

Detention for criticism

On the day of the parade, in a WeChat group called "Huaibei Cadillac Car Club" with 496 members, a user shared a live broadcast link for the parade at 9 a.m. At 9:28, another user criticized it, saying "What era is this, still doing this kind of bullshit?" 3 hours later, this user was arrested by Shanghai police and given a 10-day administrative detention.
In a separate incident on the same day, the official Weibo account of the Xiangyang internet police announced that a 47-year-old man surnamed Meng from Hubei was detained. The man had forwarded the parade live broadcast on his WeChat Moments and added comments that "slandered and defamed" the commemoration, insulted and mocked other users who expressed patriotic sentiments, and had spread rumors.

Reactions

China

NBC News described the domestic public enthusiasm for the parade as "palpable". Trends related to the parade included military themed haircuts. Chinese authorities widely censored and even arrested those who criticized the parade. Days prior to the parade, the 2025 Chongqing anti-CCP protest took place.

European Union

High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas states that the presence of Russian, North Korean and Iran leaders at the military parade represents "a direct effort to challenge the rules-based international order by establishing an anti-Western coalition."

North Korea

After the parade, the Korean Central Television aired a 50-minute documentary about Kim Jong Un's and his daughter Kim Ju Ae's visit. The documentary revealed that Kim stayed in the North Korean Embassy in Beijing. The documentary also showcased Kim's meetings with Putin and Xi. Notably, the documentary aired significant airtime to China's military and advanced weaponry, which the NK News said "was likely the first time most North Koreans would have been given such a detailed look at China’s growing military power". The documentary noted that after the parade, Kim expressed his positive impression of "China’s modern People’s Liberation Army with Xi Jinping at the center."

Japan

As reported in Kyodo News, Japan had urged European and Asian leaders to not attend the parade, citing that the event "excessively exhibits anti-Japanese sentiment and seeks China's interpretation of the war to spread." The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in return lodged a protest against Japan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa declined to comment on whether Japan had called on any nations not to attend. Speculations against Japan's diplomacy pressure raised when a Victory Day event hosted by the Chinese Consulate to Australia in Australian Parliament House was forced to change the venue, however, informants from the Australian government dismissed the claim.
Kiichirō Hatoyama of the Democratic Party For the People, the son of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, expressed his opposition towards his father's attendance in the parade, while party leader Yuichiro Tamaki similarly expressed his opposition towards Yukio's attendance and said that facing history seriously and being used by a foreign power are "two different things."

Taiwan

In Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council imposed a ban on specific groups of persons to attend the parade, and called for members of public to refrain from the parade, any actions regarding to "collaboration with Mainland authorities" will face heavy fines, stripping of pension and honors. Several celebrities were reported to have been investigated by the MAC for reposting information about the parade.
Taiwan criticized the parade celebrations in China as historical revisionism, stating that the CCP "attempted to steal credit for leading the fight during the war" and pointing out that "most of the combat forces were made up from the forces of the Republic of China." China replied stating that Taiwan's criticism was "blaspheming those who died on behalf of the entire Chinese nation." China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian went on to said that Taiwan "should not and cannot be absent from the relevant commemoration activities" and dismiss the attempt by Taiwan as "despicable acts that betrays history and the nation." The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan criticized the parade's cost, with deputy minister Shen Yu-chung stating that China was "willing to spend NT$150 billion on the event while neglecting its domestic economic, labor, and social issues." Shen also said that "the commemoration in China is a great irony considering how China's actions speaks equivalently to fascism masquerading as nationalism."
Kuomintang chairman Eric Chu states that cross-straits visits must comply with the laws passed after hearing that former chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu would attend the military parade.

Russia and Ukraine

As the parade occurred, Russia had fired more than 500 drones and two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, targeting mostly western and central Ukraine and wounding at least five people. Later that day, Putin said that his country is "willing to fight to achieve all its objectives if Ukraine does not agree to a peace deal" while Trump had persuaded Putin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

United States

On his social media platform Truth Social, President of the United States Donald Trump stated, "Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America." Trump also reaffirmed his "very good relationship" with Xi Jinping and he did not see the military parade event as a "challenge to the United States." He also questioned whether Xi recognizes the "massive amount of support and blood" the United States has given to defend China's freedom.
The American Institute in Taiwan stated that the PRC used to parade to distort World War II history concerning documents such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration, Potsdam Declaration, and Treaty of San Francisco in order to promote Chinese unification.

India

An Indian government official told Jiji Press that despite the schedule convenience, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not attend the 3 September Victory Parade as the parade itself is "a commemoration of China defeating Japan" and "India has no intention to harm Japan" as concerns mounted over the fate of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue after India's worsening ties with the United States.

Indonesia

President Prabowo Subianto's decision to attend the parade after initially cancelled his invitation due to the August 2025 Indonesian protests sparked international headlines as protests still rages on despite cooling down. Minister of the State Secretariat Prasetyo Hadi explained that Prabowo had received reports on the demonstration that public life has gradually returned to normal, hence the decision made to resume his invitation.
Leader of the Fourth Commission of the House of Representatives of Indonesia and Prabowo's former wife Titiek Suharto posted a picture of Prabowo together with Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in admiration, stating that as an Indonesian, she is proud to see her president stand together with "World Tigers".
Similarly, Indonesian netizens in Twitter reacted to an editorial of Yomiuri Shimbun that shows a similar photo which cropped Prabowo out. Some of the reactions include mocking Prabowo and his voters while comparing him to the three leaders standing beside him. However, Yomiuri's editorial focuses on the three leaders and only mentioned Prabowo at the end of the article as Yomiuri viewed that Indonesia is a democracy unlike China, Russia and North Korea, justifying its different treatment.

Philippines

Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro states that the presence of China, North Korea and Russian leaders standing side by side in the parade is a form of intimidation against smaller countries. He also condemn the three leaders for not abiding to international law. Teodoro also condemned Xi's speech as an attempt of historical revisionism in their expansionist narrative. A spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines condemned Teodoro's statement as anti-Chinese and Teodoro's remarks revealed his arrogance and lack of understanding of historical facts.