Chinese military personnel take part in a rehearsal ahead of a parade commemorating the eightieth anniversary of victory in World War II in Beijing on August 20, 2025. (Pedro Pardo via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
US Commerce Secretary Howard William Lutnick and Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Ryosei Akazawa shake hands on on September 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) sails in formation during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on July 28, 2022. (DVIDS)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Xia Yifang via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
A microchip and Taiwanese flag displayed on a phone screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo on April 10, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the second plenary meeting of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 8, 2019 in Beijing, China. The second session of the 13th NPC opens in Beijing on Tu
Muslim Uyghurs attend afternoon prayers at the Id Kah Mosque on October 15, 2006 in Kashgar City, Xinjiang Uygur, China (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)
Employees work on production line at a new factory of China's leading new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer BYD on July 6, 2020 in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province of China. (Photo by Zhao Qirui/VCG via Getty Images)
Members of the Communist Party of China (CPC) review the oath of joining the party in front of the party flag on April 13, 2021 in Luoyang, Henan Province of China. (Photo by Jia Fangwen/VCG via Getty Images)