Xi projects power at military parade with Putin and Kim

Prez says world faces peace or war in keynote speech

- RYAN WOO & MEI MEI CHU

CHINESE PRESIDENT XI Jinping warned the world was facing a choice between peace or war at a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, flanked by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un in an unprecedented show of force.

The event to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War II was largely shunned by Western leaders, with Putin and Kim—pariahs in the West due to the Ukraine war and Kim's nuclear ambitions—the guests of honour.

Designed to project China's military might and diplomatic clout, it also comes as US President Trump's tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.