Xi oversees massive military parade with Putin, Kim in attendance

China flexed its military muscle at a huge military parade in Beijing to mark 80 years since the end of World War II, displaying its latest generation of stealth fighters, tanks and ballistic missiles amid a highly choreographed cast of thousands, Al Jazeera reported

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The parade through Tiananmen Square, on Wednesday morning, was overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the head of the country's military and the Chinese Communist Party.

After greeting foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Xi moved on to welcome Chinese military veterans before taking his place at the centre of the event.

Putin and Kim were just some of the 26 world leaders who attended the parade, in a group that was drawn from mostly non-Western countries.

Xi watched the parade from the Gate of Heavenly Peace, before making a speech to the 10,000 assembled members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Navy and Air Force, stating that China would continue to "adhere to a path of peaceful development".