Chinese President Xi Jinping reviewed a massed military parade in central Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were among the guests and flanked Xi at the parade.
Other world leaders attended the event:
- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
- Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni
- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel
- Vietnamese President Luong Cuong
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
- Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
- Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov
- Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith
- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
- Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu
- Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh
- Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing
- Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
- Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
- Slovak Prime Minister Roberto Fico
- Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon
- Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdymukhamedov
- Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
- Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Here are some of the weapons China's People's Liberation Army put on rare public display:
MISSILES: China revealed nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from sea, land and air together, the first time it has shown off its “triad” of nuclear-ready capabilities.
- Air-based, long-range missile Jinglei-1
- Submarine-launched intercontinental missile Julang-3
- Land-based intercontinental missiles Dongfeng-61 (DF-61) and Dongfeng-31 - weapons that are China's strategic "ace" power to safeguard the country's sovereignty and dignity, Xinhua reported.
- The Dongfeng-5C (DF-5C) – the latest version of a missile programme China began in the 1970s. The missile is liquid-fuelled and capable of releasing multiple, independent warheads on a single target. According to Global Times, DF-5C liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic nuclear missile has the entire globe under its strike range.
MISSILES: China revealed nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from sea, land and air together, the first time it has shown off its “triad” of nuclear-ready capabilities.
- Air-based, long-range missile Jinglei-1
- Submarine-launched intercontinental missile Julang-3
- Land-based intercontinental missiles Dongfeng-61 (DF-61) and Dongfeng-31 - weapons that are China's strategic "ace" power to safeguard the country's sovereignty and dignity, Xinhua reported.
- The Dongfeng-5C (DF-5C) – the latest version of a missile programme China began in the 1970s. The missile is liquid-fuelled and capable of releasing multiple, independent warheads on a single target. According to Global Times, DF-5C liquid-fueled intercontinental strategic nuclear missile has the entire globe under its strike range.
- Hypersonic anti-ship missiles that China has previously tested against mockups of US aircraft carriers. Those included the Yingji-19, Yingji-17 and Yingji-20.
- Other missiles featured included cruise missiles - the Changjian-20A, Yingji-18C, Changjian-1000 – and other hypersonic missiles the Yingji-21, Dongfeng-17 and Dongfeng-26D with what China's state media said were equipped with “all-weather combat capabilities”.
FIGHTER JETS: Fighter jet echelons consisting of the J-16D, J-20, J-35A, J-20S and J-20A were reviewed at the parade.
KJ-600 and J-15T carrier-based aircraft were also reviewed in a flight formation, marking the long-awaited debut of the KJ-600, China's carrier-borne fixed-wing early warning aircraft, the state media said. A military affairs expert told Global Times that the commissioning of the KJ-600 marks the completion of the “final piece of puzzle” for aircraft carrier group operations, significantly enhancing the offensive and defensive combat capabilities of China's carrier groups.
LASER WEAPONS: China has been developing laser weapons as a defence against drone attacks. The full range of its anti-drone systems on display at the parade included a missile gun, high-energy laser weapons and high-power microwave weapons.
DRONES: China showed off drones that can operate underwater and in the air, including drones that could be used for reconnaissance and to strike targets. It also featured unmanned helicopters designed to be launched from ships. The sea-based systems included submarines, surface vessels and a mine-laying system.