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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Aamna Mohdin

Thursday briefing: China flexes its muscle in the tussle for global dominance

China's President Xi Jinping is seen on a big screen as he delivers a speech at the start of a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II
TOPSHOT-CHINA-DEFENCE-ANNIVERSARY-WWII-PARADE
TOPSHOT - China's President Xi Jinping is seen on a big screen as he delivers a speech at the start of a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) (Photo by GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)
Photograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

Good morning. All eyes have been on China this week as the second biggest global economy flexed its muscles.

Dozens of world leaders, including from the global south, authoritarian pariah states and the EU, attended China’s largest ever military parade on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war, which China calls the war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

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