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)
A protester holds up a white piece of paper as a statement against censorship during a protest against the Chinese Communist Party's strict Zero-COVID measures on November 27, 2022, in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Thai anti-government protesters hold up a three-fingered salute during a rally against restrictions on political speech on October 31, 2021, in Bangkok, Thailand. (Lauren DeCicca via Getty Images)
A boy looks on during a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to those who have died protesting the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was killed in police custody after allegedly violating the country's hijab rules, outside the White House on October 1, 2022. (Bonnie Cash via Getty Images)
Policemen stand guard as students take part in an anti-government demonstration in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 18, 2022. (Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images)