US President Donald Trump has accused the leaders of China, North Korea and Russia of conspiring against the United States as they gathered in Beijing for a massive military parade.
As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia's Vladimir Putin flanked Xi Jinping at the parade marking 80 years since World War II ended, Mr Trump wrote a testy Truth Social post addressing Mr Xi.
"Give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America," he said.
In response, the Kremlin said it hoped Mr Trump's allegation that the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea were conspiring against the United States was a joke.
"I think not without irony, he said that these three are allegedly plotting against the United States," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state TV, when asked about the social media post by Mr Trump that alleged Mr Putin, Mr Xi and Mr Kim had gathered in Beijing to plot against Washington.
Mr Xi has warned the world is facing a choice between peace or war as he held his country's largest-ever military parade, flanked by Mr Putin and Mr Kim.
The highly-choreographed event to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War II has been largely shunned by Western leaders, with Mr Putin and Mr Kim - pariahs in the West due to the Ukraine war and Mr Kim's nuclear ambitions – the guests of honour.
Designed to project China's military might and diplomatic clout, it also comes as Mr Trump's trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.
"Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum," Mr Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people "firmly stand on the right side of history".
Riding in an open-top limousine, Mr Xi then inspected the troops and cutting-edge military equipment such as hypersonic missiles, underwater drones and a weaponised 'robot wolf'.
Helicopters trailing large banners and fighter jets flew information during the 70-minute showcase thick with symbolism, which culminated in the release of 80,000 'peace' birds.
Donning a tunic suit in the style worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Mr Xi earlier greeted more than 25 leaders on the red carpet, including Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto who made a surprise appearance despite widespread protests at home.
Mr Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, could be heard saying: "Nice to meet you" and "Welcome to China" to several of the guests in English.
Seated between Mr Putin and Mr Kim in the viewing gallery, Mr Xi repeatedly initiated conversations with both leaders as thousands of troops and materiel paraded before them.
"Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America," Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social, as the event kicked off.
He also highlighted the US role in helping China secure its freedom from Japan during World War II.
Mr Trump had earlier told reporters he did not see the parade as a challenge to the United States. Japan's top government spokesperson declined to comment on the parade, adding Asia's top two economies were building "constructive relations".
Democratically governed Taiwan, which China considers its own, has urged its people not to attend the parade, warning that attendance could reinforce Beijing's territorial claims. Taiwan does not commemorate peace with a barrel of a gun, its President Lai Ching-te said in pointed criticism of the event.
Watch: Troop formations assemble, aircraft take to skies for China military parade
Mr Xi has cast World War II as a major turning point in the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation", in which it overcame the humiliation of Japan's invasion to become a global powerhouse.
Earlier this week, Mr Xi unveiled his vision of a new world order at a regional security summit, calling for unity against "hegemonism and power politics", a thinly veiled swipe at his rival across the Pacific Ocean.
"Xi feels confident that the table has turned. It's China that is back in the driver's seat now," said Wen-Ti Sung, fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, based in Taiwan.
"It's been Trumpian unilateralism rather than China's wolf warrior diplomacy when people talk about the leading source of uncertainty in the international system," he added.
At a lavish reception after the parade at the Great Hall of the People, Mr Xi told his guests that humanity must not return to the "law of the jungle".
Beyond the pomp and propaganda, analysts are watching whether Mr Xi, Mr Putin and Mr Kim may signal closer defence relations following a pact signed by Russia and North Korea in June 2024, and a similar alliance between Beijing and Pyongyang, an outcome that may alter the military calculus in the Asia-Pacific region.
Preparations for an expected meeting between the Russian and North Korean leaders at China's State Guesthouse were under way, Russia's TASS state news agency reported.
Mr Putin has already sealed deeper energy deals with Beijing during his China visit, while the gathering has given the reclusive Mr Kim an opportunity to gain implicit support for his banned nuclear weapons.
It has been 66 years since a North Korean leader last attended a Chinese military parade.
Mr Kim travelled to Beijing with his daughter Ju Ae, whom South Korean intelligence consider his most likely successor, although she was not seen alongside him at the parade.
Over the past two years, more than a dozen generals – many formerly close to Mr Xi - have been purged from the People's Liberation Army in a sweeping corruption crackdown.
"The parade allows Xi to focus the world’s attention on its impressive strides in modernising its military hardware, while overshadowing the stubborn challenges afflicting the PLA, most notably the continued purges rolling through the ranks of its most senior officers," said Jon Czin, a foreign policy analyst at Brookings Institution, a US-based think tank.
The parade was not only aimed at projecting China's might to the outside world, but also galvanising patriotic spirit at home, analysts said.
In his keynote address, Xi called the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation "unstoppable". Civil servants up and down the country have been tasked with watching the parade and writing down their reflections, one of them told Reuters.
