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)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a festive reception for foreign leaders attending celebrations of Victory Day on May 9, 2025. (Getty Images)
Smoke rises after a reported Israeli strike on a building used by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, part of Iran's state TV broadcaster, on June 16, 2025, in Tehran, Iran. (Stringer/Getty Images)
People walk past a video screen showing a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on March 3, 2023. (Greg Baker via Getty Images)
Delegates vote at the closing ceremony of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People on October 22, 2022, in Beijing, China. (Lintao Zhang via Getty Images)
President Xi Jinping attending the opening ceremony of the National People's Congress on March 5, 2025, in Beijing, China. (The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang during the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg on June 20, 2025. (Dmitry Lovetsky via Getty Images)