Hard Power

Publishing date: 04 September 2025

Published in: The Nation

Words, images and symbols carry weight, but without the backing of real military power they have little effect on the global stage. The recent SCO summit in China was a strong statement of Eurasian unity, yet it was the military parade in Beijing—showcasing the latest advances in Chinese weaponry before an audience of world leaders—that delivered the stronger message. Anticipated eagerly by Western observers, the parade broke records for global viewership and underscored the shifting balance of power.

The world is now paying close attention to China’s military rise. Among the most striking revelations were advances in drone technology: autonomous, fighter jet–sized drones designed to operate alongside sixth-generation aircraft, creating new dilemmas for defenders. Underwater and unmanned systems were also on display, signalling that drones will dominate every sphere of future conflict. In addition, China unveiled newer, more sophisticated intercontinental ballistic missiles, a reminder that this is no longer the China of the past that could be coerced or dismissed, but one that is openly assertive in its global ambitions.

President Xi Jinping’s warning that the world still faces a choice between peace and war, coupled with his assertion that China is “unstoppable,” was aimed squarely at the West, particularly the United States, which continues to encircle China with military bases in the South China Sea and neighbouring states. The presence of leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, heads of Indo-Pacific states, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored that China is no longer a fringe power clamouring for attention. Instead, it is a nation whose reach extends across dozens of countries willing to stand with Beijing in shaping a new world order.