China’s Mega Parade — Among the Largest in History
China’s 2025 Parade in Global Perspective
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On September 3, 2025, China staged its largest military parade ever, held in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The event featured tens of thousands of troops, advanced weaponry, and reportedly cost around $5 billion.
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The parade underscored China’s expanding military capabilities, including hypersonic missiles, drone units, and a demonstration of its full nuclear triad, among other cutting-edge technologies.
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Historical Military Parade Benchmarks
| Country/Parade | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Soviet Union – 1945 Victory Parade | Tens of thousands of troops plus nearly 1,850 military vehicles marched through Red Square—widely regarded as one of the largest military parades ever staged. |
| Wikipédia | |
| Russia – 2005 60th Anniversary Parade | The largest Russian event in modern history, featuring over 150 heads of state or dignitaries, including global leaders like George W. Bush and Jacques Chirac. |
| Wikipédia | |
| China – 2009 & 2019 National Parades | The 2009 parade drew 200,000 spectators, while in 2019, 15,000 troops and over 160 aircraft took part in the 70th-anniversary celebration of communist China’s founding. |
| Sky News | |
| United States – Trump’s “Salute to America,” 2019 | A rare and controversial event invoking historical military pageantry, drawing comparisons with authoritarian parades from ancient Mesopotamia to modern China and Russia. |
| The Guardian |
Final Takeaway
China’s 2025 parade stands among the most expansive military spectacles in modern world history—surpassing even the Soviet-era benchmarks in both scale and technological showcase. While Russia has historically hosted massive celebrations in its own right, the sheer scope and geopolitical messaging of China’s latest parade position it as a defining display of strategic dominance.
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