Ex-premier joins guests at China’s huge military spectacle
Source: Nine News
The Prime Minister has defended Australia’s presence at a major Chinese military parade after former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews was criticised for attending the lavish event.
Tanks, state-of-the-art aircraft and perfectly synchronised troops filled the streets of Beijing on Wednesday as China commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II.
High-profile leaders also there included North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, alongside Victoria’s contentious Covid-19-era premier, who was seen shaking the hand of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Andrews was also captured in a group photo that includes Xi, Putin and Kim.
Asked why Andrews, who attended in a personal capacity, was arguably the most high-profile Australian at the event in Tiananmen Square, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese batted away concerns.
“We’re sending a diplomat, we’ll be there,” he said in Canberra.
Daniel Andrews (back row) among guests at the Chinese celebration.Photo: AP
Although he was invited to Wednesday’s parade, Rudd-era foreign minister and former NSW premier Bob Carr reportedly did not attend, instead using his time in China to speak to Chinese foreign policy think tanks.
Carr had earlier posted on X that he would commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in Beijing.
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The Coalition had raised questions over Andrews’ and Carr’s attendance, given Australia’s ambassador to China was not there.
“They need to explain why they’re attending a military parade that Vladimir Putin is attending and what that actually tells the world,” Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told the Today show.
Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie was also critical of the pair’s attendance, describing the event as a “parade for dictators”.
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However, Victorian government minister Vicki Ward leapt to Andrews’ defence, pointing to the importance of diplomatic ties.
“He’s going as a private individual. These are choices that he’s made in a private capacity,” she said in Melbourne.
“It’s important that we maintain good, healthy relationships with those countries that are in our region.”
There were more than 50,000 spectators at the military parade, with Putin and Kim – pariahs in the West due to the Ukraine war and Kim’s nuclear ambitions – as guests of honour.
Designed to project China’s military might and diplomatic clout, the event also came as US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.
Addressing the crowd, Xi warned the world faced a choice between peace or war.
“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” he said, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.
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Riding in an open-top limousine, Xi then inspected the troops and cutting-edge military equipment such as missiles, tanks and drones on display.
Helicopters trailing large banners and fighter jets flew in formation above during a 70-minute showcase thick with symbolism and propaganda, which culminated in the release of 80,000 peace doves and colourful balloons.
Wearing a suit in the style of those worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi earlier greeted the more than 20 leaders saying “Nice to meet you” and “Welcome to China” in English.
Meanwhile, Trump posted on Truth Social as the parade kicked off, highlighting the US role in helping China secure its freedom from Japan.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” Trump wrote.
Trump had earlier said he saw the parade as no challenge to the US and reiterated his “very good relationship” with Xi.
Xi has cast WWII as a major turning point in the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, in which it overcame the humiliation of Japan’s invasion to become an economic and geopolitical powerhouse.
Earlier this week, Xi unveiled his vision of a new global order at a regional security summit, calling for unity against “hegemonism and power politics”, a thinly veiled swipe at his rival across the Pacific Ocean.
“Xi feels confident that the table has turned. It’s China that is back in the driver’s seat now,” said Wen-Ti Sung, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, based in Taiwan.
“It’s been Trumpian unilateralism rather than China’s wolf warrior diplomacy when people talk about the leading source of uncertainty in the international system,” he said.
Beyond the pomp, analysts are watching whether Xi, Putin and Kim may signal closer defence relations following a pact signed by Russia and North Korea in June 2024, and a similar alliance between Beijing and Pyongyang, an outcome that may alter the military calculus in the Asia-Pacific region.
Putin has already used the occasion to seal deeper energy deals with China, while the gathering has given Kim an opportunity to gain implicit support for his banned nuclear weapons.
Kim, debuting in his first major multilateral event, was the first North Korean to attend a Chinese military parade in 66 years.
“The parade allows Xi to focus the world’s attention on its impressive strides in modernising its military hardware, while overshadowing the stubborn challenges afflicting the PLA, most notably the continued purges rolling through the ranks of its most senior officers,” said Jon Czin, a foreign policy analyst at Brookings Institution, a US-based think tank.
Nothing was left to chance for the milestone gathering.
Major roads and schools were closed in Beijing for the parade, the culmination of weeks of painstaking security preparations and midnight rehearsals.
–with AAP
