Xi Warns World Faces “Peace or War” as Trump Accuses Beijing of “Conspiring” with Putin and Kim

Xi Warns World Faces “Peace or War” as Trump Accuses Beijing of “Conspiring” with Putin and Kim

Chinese President Xi Jinping used a ram-packed military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to warn the world it faces a stark choice between “peace or war,” projecting Chinese power as he sat flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The spectacle — the largest of Xi’s presidency and timed to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender — immediately drew a sharp reaction from Washington, where President Donald Trump posted a blistering message accusing Xi of “conspiring against The United States of America.” 

What Xi said and what China showed

Speaking at the Tiananmen Square event, Xi framed the moment as a global crossroads. “Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” he told several tens of thousands of spectators, according to an official transcript and reporting from international wire services. The parade displayed an array of modern weaponry — from hypersonic missile systems to advanced drones — and was intended to signal Beijing’s growing military capabilities and its readiness to defend what it calls its “core interests.” 

The event’s guest list underscored its geopolitical import. Putin and Kim — both internationally isolated by much of the West for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs — joined Xi at the reviewing stand, producing a powerful visual of alignment among the three leaders. Chinese state media emphasized themes of historical justice, national rejuvenation and a push for a multipolar world order less dominated by the West. 

Trump’s reaction: “conspire against the United States”

As the parade unfolded, President Trump posted on his social platform a message that combined a ceremonial greeting with a pointed barb: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” he wrote, adding references to U.S. sacrifices during World War II. White House aides later insisted that while Trump was not seeking confrontation, he viewed the public demonstration — and the leaders’ alignment — as a worrying sign for U.S. interests. 

U.S. officials in Washington reacted with a mix of alarm and strategic caution. Some senior administration figures warned privately that the trio’s public solidarity could deepen diplomatic and military coordination among rivals of the West; others stressed U.S. military superiority and said the United States would respond through alliances, economic tools and deterrence rather than rhetoric alone. 

International and expert reactions

Western governments largely stayed away from the parade, with many senior European leaders declining invitations because of Putin’s presence. Analysts said Beijing deliberately chose an occasion tied to shared wartime history to recast contemporary alignments and to project resilience amid rising tensions over Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine. Observers also pointed to the parade as part of a broader Chinese effort to normalize closer ties with Moscow and Pyongyang while offering an image of an alternative international order.

Some security scholars cautioned that pageantry should not be mistaken for policy inevitability. While the visual of three authoritarian leaders together is striking and provocative, durable military coalitions require logistics, interoperable forces and aligned strategic objectives — elements that remain uneven among Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang. Nevertheless, the optics complicate Western diplomacy and risk hardening regional fault lines if left unaddressed. 

Stakes for Asia and beyond

The parade and Xi’s language come at a sensitive juncture. Beijing has stepped up military drills and infrastructure work near Taiwan and has signalled increasing confidence in projecting power. For neighbors and partners in the Indo-Pacific, the presence of Putin and Kim alongside Xi amplifies worries about a bloc of states willing to challenge Western influence and to deepen military and economic cooperation outside established Western frameworks. For the United States, the event raises questions about how to deter coercive behaviour while keeping diplomatic channels open.

Analysis — symbolism, risk and the limits of spectacle

Two themes matter when judging the significance of Wednesday’s display.

First, symbolism can produce leverage. Xi’s choreography — the weapons on show, the guests at his side, and the stark “peace or war” rhetoric — is designed to shape global perceptions: to reassure domestic audiences of China’s strength, to warn potential adversaries and to attract partners who chafe at Western dominance. In geopolitical competition, perception often shapes behaviour; if Beijing’s aim was to induce strategic caution among foes or to lure fence-sitting countries into closer relations, the parade was a success. 

Second, spectacle has limits. Military parades do not, by themselves, create logistics, compatible command structures, or the economic ties that underpin durable military alliances. Putin, Xi and Kim may share grievances and some common interests, but their long-term alignment will be tested by practical constraints — economics, strategic divergence (for example over priorities in Europe vs. East Asia), and the operational frictions of sustaining joint action under pressure. Western policymakers should take the signal seriously, but respond with sober, capability-based deterrence and sustained alliance diplomacy — not merely matching rhetoric. 

Finally, President Trump’s public charge that the leaders are “conspiring against” the United States crystallizes domestic political risk: sharp rhetoric can harden audiences and reduce space for quiet diplomacy. Washington faces a choice of its own — whether to lean into public pressure and deterrence measures or to double down on alliance cohesion and targeted economic and diplomatic tools that limit the appeal of an alternative multipolar bloc. 

What to watch next

• Whether Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang follow the parade with concrete security or economic agreements beyond ceremonial pageantry. 

• Responses from key U.S. allies in Europe and Asia about defence postures, joint exercises and potential sanctions coordination. 

• Any shifts in Chinese military posture around Taiwan, including patrol patterns, exercises, or coercive diplomacy in the South China Sea. 

• U.S. policy moves that marry deterrence (military readiness) with diplomacy (trade, climate cooperation, and targeted engagement) to undercut the appeal of aligning with Beijing.