The military might of the People’s Republic of China was fully displayed in a parade marking 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II.
Thousands of kilometers away, at the White House in Washington DC, Donald Trump had his eyes on the event.
"They were hoping I was watching, and I was watching," he said.
The American President did not elaborate on his thoughts about the grand celebration in Tiananmen Square, other than stating that it was "very, very impressive." However, the message conveyed by China - to Trump and the world - seems quite clear.
A new center of power in the world is rising. And it is an alternative to the US-backed order of the past century, as pointed out in an analysis by BBC.
Ambivalent Reflections at the White House
Trump's remarks, made on Wednesday in the Oval Office alongside Polish President Karol Nawrocki, shed some light on the matter.
They represented the culmination of a typical series of indirect reflections by the American President on what has been happening in China in recent days - a mix of ambivalence, resentment, and concern.
In an interview for a podcast on Tuesday, Trump seemed detached from the parade, saying he was not "concerned" about China's show of force in front of him, Putin, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and over twenty other heads of state.
However, on Tuesday evening, he complained on his Truth Social network that China does not give the US enough credit for the support provided in World War II. "Please convey my warm regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, while plotting against the United States of America," he wrote.
Trump's Fascination with Parades
Beyond conspiracy theories, Trump has a weakness for parades and displays of military power. Last month, he welcomed Putin in Alaska with a flyby of invisible bombers and a red carpet flanked by American planes. He has fond memories of Bastille Day parades in France during his first term, and even organized his own military parade in Washington two months ago to mark 250 years of the US Army.
Unlike the impeccable display of advanced technology and precise marches in Beijing, Trump's parade was a discreet homage to American military history, with tanks from World War II and soldiers from the revolutionary period marching casually on Constitution Avenue, near the White House.
Essentially, it was a nostalgic display, fitting his "Make America Great Again" slogan and economic policies inspired by 19th-century mercantilism - an era that Trump often insists represented America's peak.
China Rewriting Its Own Version of History
China's parade, although filled with futuristic weapons, also included a historical narrative - an attempt by the communist government to claim a greater role in defeating fascism and imperialism. If that conflict launched the "American century," Beijing hopes that respect for its role will facilitate the transition to a future built under Chinese leadership.
"It is the first step in a concerted effort to rewrite the rules of the game," said Richard Wilkie, Secretary for Veterans Affairs in Trump's first term. "And you start by rewriting history."
He added that Chinese nationalists and American forces played a much larger role in Japan's defeat than the communist army.
Geopolitical Realignments
The parade was not the only image from China that raised concerns in Washington. On Monday, Xi and Putin met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an economic summit in Tianjin - a sign that the chilly relations between China and India could thaw, in part due to the pressure from Trump's tariffs, which hit both countries hard.
Trump's "America First" trade policy has disrupted global economic and political balances, and the rapprochement between China, Russia, and India illustrated how the major pieces of the geopolitical puzzle can align in provocative yet predictable ways.
Trump considers tariffs essential to his plan to protect American industry and generate new revenues for the government. If there is a diplomatic cost, he seems willing to pay it for now.
"Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese know that the real threat is not the minor hiccups in trade partnerships with the US," said Wilkie, co-chairman of the America First Foreign Policy Institute. "The threat is the rise of Chinese military power."
Risks of a Solitary Policy
Trump has been ambivalent about conflicts far from American soil, focusing more on a close "sphere of influence" - Greenland, Panama, and Canada.
The danger for Trump is that his radical trade actions could prove to be only risks without benefits. Increasing signals indicate that the new US-centered trade regime could be dismantled by American courts.
On Friday, a court of appeals ruled that many of his tariffs are based on a misinterpretation of federal law. Trump promised to appeal to the Supreme Court, but even with a conservative majority favorable to him, judges have been skeptical of presidents adopting major policies without explicit approval from Congress. There is no guarantee they will support his expanded view of presidential power.
When it comes to trade, Trump has gone his own way - steering America on a new trajectory and rapidly generating new international alliances.
It is an ambitious strategy that Trump promised would lead to a second "golden age" for America. But the dangers - whether on the parade grounds of Tiananmen Square or in American courtrooms - are very real.
G.P.