In a challenge to the United States, Beijing held a massive World War II (WWII) victory parade to flex its military muscle and show off its advanced weaponry, including its Dongfeng-61 (DF-61) intercontinental ballistic missile. Flanked by fellow autocrats Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese President Xi Jinping took credit on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the Allied defeat of Imperial Japanese forces in 1945. At a more modest ceremony in Taipei, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te honored his country’s troops while criticizing Xi’s hypocrisy in calling for peace while displaying weapons of war. Just how accurate are Xi’s claims that it was the CCP, rather than Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalist forces, that won WWII? And is Beijing creating its own “axis of upheaval” to take on the US and its allies? In this episode, our guests discuss the historical claims and geopolitical implications of Xi’s big day.
*Recorded on September 3, 2025 at 3:00pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Yin Khvat
Our guests:
Yen-Pin Su
- National Chengchi University Department of Political Science Professor
Guermantes Lailari
- Institute for National Defense and Security Research Visiting Research Fellow
Victor Chan
- Former BBC Chinese-language Producer
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