(Analysis) China’s 2025 Military Parade: Progress, Ambition, and Strategic Implications

On 3 September 2025, Beijing hosted a grand military parade to commemorate victory in World War II. An array of advanced weaponry and military hardware were displayed. Showcasing China’s growing military capabilities. Yet perhaps the most telling image of the parade came not from the weaponry, but from the podium where Xi JinPing standing alongside Vladimir Putin and Kim JongUn. This parade happened in the conspicuous absence of most Western states and US aligned partners. This scene projected an image of “anti- US” solidarity and hinted at the deepening alignment among Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang. From many observations, the composition of this podium symbolized the possible consolidation of an authoritarian bloc.

However, attention should also be given to the military and technological dimensions showcased during the parade. The event was more than a show of strength. It projected China’s confidence in its defense industry and its evolving military vision. While the focus here is not on judging the technical power of the weapons themselves, but on what the parade reveals about China’s strategic ambitions and the messages it conveys. 

China’s Push for Military Modernization & Autonomy 

One of the key messages conveyed by the 2025 military parade was China’s emphasis on Modernization followed by Self-Reliance. It is a statement of Beijing’s broader ambitions: Achieving military modernization on its own terms.

Modernization and Self-Sufficiency have been the main priorities for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Codified in the 2027 Centennial Military Building Goal (the “2027 Goal”) under the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). This initiative aims to accelerate development, improve combat readiness, and enhance deterrence capabilities in time for the PLA’s 100th anniversary in 2027.

China’s Military-Civil Fusion Strategy has been central to this pursuit. Integrating vast state investment across defense and civilian sectors to strengthen its domestic industrial base. These efforts have not only advanced Beijing’s ambition to modernize the PLA into a world-class force but also reduced reliance on external procurement. An increasingly strategic objective amid rising U.S.- China tension and difficulty of acquiring advanced foreign systems. 

Self- Reliance and the Evolvng China- Russia Defense Dynamic

The 2027 Goal reflect a strategic commitment to self-reliance that goes beyond responding to external constraints, such as U.S.–China tensions or restrictions on advanced imports. China is proactively building an autonomous defense-industrial base, with the reduction of reliance on traditional partners, such as Russia.

Russia has been the PLA’s largest supplier of military equipment and technology, with bilateral arms trade forming a key pillar of China-Russia relations. However, this relationship has long been marked by mutual suspicion: Moscow has been wary of China’s Reverse-Engineering , like the suspected China’s J-11 copying Russia’s SUu-27 fighter jet. Although large-scale arms transfers resumed in part of Russia’s post-Crimea financial needs, cooperation remains selective and cautious. Suggesting why Beijing has been proactive in pushing military indepence despite close partnership with Moscow.

While China’s military capability and technology drastically improved. Russia remains valuable in areas where China still lags. Nevertheless statistics shows Beijing has gradually reduced its reliance on external suppliers. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China’s weapons imports fell by 64% over the past five years, largely driven by the growth of its domestic defense industry. Nationally produced systems are increasingly replacing equipment previously sourced from Russia.

While this shift does not fundamentally alter China-Russia ties, the victory military parade acted as a clear signal of China’s autonomy. Showcasing its ability to design, produce, and deploy advanced systems independently.

Expanding Footprint in the Global Arms Market

China’s pursuit of military self-reliance has opened new opportunities for the country as an arms exporter, a role it has traditionally played only modestly. While Chinese-made weapons have sometimes been criticized for lacking practical combat experience, Beijing is increasingly seeking to develop its export market alongside its domestic capabilities. Recent reports highlight growing deployment of Chinese systems in partner countries such as Pakistan and Iran. Signaling China’s ambition to expand its influence in the arament market historically dominated by other suppliers like U.S., France and Russia. 

According to SIPRI, between 2020 and 2024, Chinese arms exports accounted for 5.9% of global arms transfers. Pakistan remains the largest recipient, accounting for nearly 63% of Chinese exports, followed by Serbia (6.8%) and Thailand (4.6%). Geographically, approximately 77% of exports went to Asia and Oceania, with 14% to Africa, covering 44 countries in total. The majority of exported systems include artillery, air defense, and other conventional platforms.

Despite growing capabilities and proactive export efforts, geopolitical constraints remain significant. Chinese arms export still experienced decline compared to the previous five-year period. U.S. and European allies, as well as many Asia-Pacific countries, are unlikely to procure Chinese systems due to security concerns and interoperability issues. The Middle East has emerged as a key target market for Beijing. While the region has traditionally relied on Western suppliers. Several states are now seeking to balance their security partnerships between Washington and Beijing.

Against this backdrop, the 2025 military parade functioned as a strategic showroom for potential buyers. By showcasing the sophistication of domestically produced systems and instilling confidence among prospective partners. The parade served to bolster trust in Chinese-made weapons and signal Beijing’s ambition to expand its defense export market.

China’s Intelligentization and the Digitalization of Warfare

Beyond showcasing modernization and self-sufficiency, another key message conveyed through the 2025 military parade was China’s vision of Intelligentized Warfare. The integration of artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and big-data systems into military operations. This emphasis reflects Beijing’s ambition under the 2027 Goal to transform the PLA into a digitally networked, information-driven force capable of operating effectively in high-tech battle environments.

While the Digitalization of Warfare represents a broader global trend, China has positioned itself at the forefront of this transformation. Over the past decade, Beijing has invested heavily in artificial intelligence, data-driven command systems, and autonomous technologies, consolidating its status as a leading power in military digitalization. The 2025 military parade provided a visible demonstration of this progress. Beyond traditional displays of missiles, tanks, and aircraft, the event highlighted China’s expanding defense-industrial capacity and its pursuit of intelligentized capabilities.

Notably, the appearance of autonomous “electronic wolves”, a small quadruped robot equipped with surveillance systems and light weaponry. Illustrated how digitalization extends beyond merely upgrading conventional platforms. These systems, adapted from civilian applications such as inspection and rescue, appeared in combat-ready configurations, suggesting potential uses in reconnaissance, frontline support, and distributed combat operations.

Such advances point to an evolving Chinese approach to warfare that seeks to exploit unmanned and intelligent systems to achieve strategic effects with reduced human risk and greater deniability. Ukraine has offered a live case study of how autonomous systems can reshape battlefield dynamics. Beijing, a keen observer of global military innovation, is likely drawing lessons from these applications as it advances its own intelligentized warfare programs.

Implications Taiwan Strait and Beyond

China could draw on these concepts, where unmanned and intelligent systems may become important instruments in shaping how future contingencies unfold. Analysts have suggested that beyond conventional invasion scenarios, Beijing has explored alternative tactics such as blockade operations aimed at isolating Taiwan externally rather than launching a direct military assault. Such approaches would allow China to exert pressure without escalating into a full-scale war. In this context, digitalized and autonomous platforms like the “electronic wolves” could play a role in distributed operations. Their small scale and low observability make them difficult to detect and counter, posing unique challenges for Taiwan and its partners.

The implications extend beyond the Taiwan Strait. As China advances its digitalized and intelligentized capabilities, these technologies are also reshaping the nature of its external defense partnerships. Deepening military cooperation between China and Russia, as recent leaks suggest Russia is helping China’s seizure of Taiwan. Technological integration and data-sharing could become defining features of their partnership. Similarly, Beijing’s growing defense ties with other pragmatic partners highlight its ambition to foster a network of military relationships built not only on equipment sales but on digital connectivity, interoperability, and technological collaboration.

Beyond Firepower: The Meaning of the 2025 Parade

While the combat effectiveness of Chinese-made systems remains an open question. The 2025 parade sent a clear signal: Beijing can turn long-term ambitions into concrete capabilities. The showcase of digitalized, small-scale systems highlighted the PLA’s adaptability and capacity to learn quickly from both experimentation and global conflicts. China’s combination of ambition, technological investment, and operational learning suggests that future competition will increasingly hinge not just on firepower, but on agility, innovation, and the integration of intelligent systems.

At the same time, Beijing’s growing ambition to expand arms sales and provide Chinese-made systems to strategic partners offers both practical opportunities and strategic leverage. Such exports not only serve as testing grounds for China’s emerging technologies but also help cultivate a broader network of defense cooperation underpinned by digitalized and intelligent systems. While this may not amount to a Cold War–style arms race, it nonetheless signals a gradual realignment of global military partnerships around information dominance and strategic autonomy.

To Learn More About……

• “China’s Military Parade 2025: Enhanced Capabilities, Strategic Intent“, Atul Kumar & Rahul Rawat, ORF, Sept 2025.
• “China’s Militray Parade: What, Why, History, Comparative Analysis and What Next?“, Suyash Desai, The PLA Bulletin, Sept 2025.
• “China’s Military Demonstrates Investments in Digital Firepower“, Brett Solomon, Tech Policy Press, Sept 2025.
• “Arms Sale and the Middle East: Another Arena for Great Power Competition?“, Samuel Bendett, Ionela Ciolan, Laura Cressey & Jake Rinaldi, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Aug 2025.
• “Countries Buy Defective Chinese Military Equipment. Why?“, Cindy Zheng, RAND, June 2023.