Xi Jinping presided over a massive display of military firepower on Wednesday as he declared that China would not be cowed by bullies.

Nuclear missiles capable of reaching America, unmanned fighter jets, robot dogs, submarines, and legions of goose-stepping troops were paraded through Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

The show of force can be viewed as a veiled threat to the United States: defend Taiwan and you will feel the wrath of Beijing’s modernised armed forces.

On the other hand, President Xi positioned himself as a leader who can be trusted to defend the interests of his allies, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un, who attended as guests of honour.

Over the course of 70 minutes, as soldiers marched through the streets and flags were waved, China showed off a raft of new kit – not seen by the public before – and modernised hardware at the centre of the largest overhaul of the People’s Liberation Army.

Was it just diplomatic grandstanding, or was there more to it? Here, The Telegraph breaks down some of the key lessons learned from the spectacle.

Intercontinental nuclear missiles

At the forefront of China’s military modernisation is a massive build-up of its nuclear arsenal, including the strategic-level weapons said to be capable of striking the territory of the United States.

Beijing launched its DF-41 at a similar, albeit smaller, military parade in 2019. It was 20 metres long and can strike multiple targets at a range of 15,000 kilometres.

On Wednesday, a missile sporting the designation markings “DF-61” was paraded through Tiananmen Square on a wheeled, ground-based launcher.

There are no confirmed specifications for the likely successor missile, but some early reports have touted a weapon that can deliver up to 14 warheads at a similar range to the earlier model.

Hai Zhao, a senior fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Bloomberg TV: “China is showing that China has the ability to defend its interests, not only near China but also globally.”

US intelligence suggests that China is looking to grow the number of nuclear warheads in its arsenal to over 1,000 by 2030.

While China has been quietly undoing its restrictions against its “no-first-use” of nuclear weapons, analysts argue that Beijing is unlikely to deploy the weapons because it wants to create for itself a leadership role in the world rather than destroying earth.

Unmanned submarines

Another new addition at this year’s military parade was the presence of two new uncrewed underwater vehicles.

In the build-up to the landmark event, analysts noticed the machines in pictures that surfaced online.

China has a history of testing submarines, manned or drones, with mixed success. There are understood to be at least five trials ongoing for extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicles.

The torpedo-like vessels were paraded on the back of large trucks, estimated to be around 18 to 20 metres long.

The AJX-002 was suggested to be purpose-built for laying underwater minefields.

While the HSU-100 is likely to be used more like a conventional submarine, just without the usual crew.

They are both likely a Chinese version of the Russian Poseidon nuclear armed nuclear powered intercontinental torpedo, according to H I Sutton, a naval analyst.

Weapons like this could play a major role in any naval war over Taiwan, which President Xi has said he would be ready to invade by 2027.

Laser air defence

If Chinese generals have learned one lesson from the war in Ukraine, they know their forces, infrastructure, and logistical hubs will need to be protected from aerial drone and missile attacks.

Beijing would not be alone in developing new capabilities in this field. Nato’s European allies are already trying to ramp up the number of air-defence systems they possess by 400 per cent.

On display in Tiananmen Square was the LY-1 ship-based laser air defence system, albeit mounted on the back of eight-wheeled trucks for ease of demonstration on land.

While there are no specifications in the public domain, China is said to claim the system is the “world’s most powerful”.

Unlike a conventional air defence system, which fires a surface-to-air missile at an incoming target, the LY-1 is meant to use a massive directed energy laser system to neutralise the danger.

Some claim the beam of light could even be strong enough to down enemy fighter jets.

Mid-range missiles

Alongside the intercontinental ballistic missiles, China was keen to show off a series of smaller systems that would be more usable in a war over Taiwan than a world-destroying nuke.

One of those was the DF-29, known as the “Guam killer” in reference to its purpose for destroying US military targets on the island in the Western Pacific.

It can carry both conventional or nuclear warheads and strike targets at a 4,000-kilometre range, if you believe the publicly available specifications.

There was also the unveiling of new HHQ-16C, an extended-range missile fired from a system commonly installed on China’s Type 054 naval frigates.

Interestingly, Western analysts noted that this particular weapon was skipped over in the live coverage of the military parade.

It is a development of existing ship-based surface-to-air weapons systems touted to have a range of around 160 kilometres.

Unmanned fighter jets

These naval drones, or unmanned fighter jets, appear to be straight from the latest Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster.

The Hongdu GJ-11, known by their nickname “Loyal Wingmen”, are designed to fly alongside conventional fighter jets from China’s aircraft carriers.

Analysts have spotted these systems in testing since last year, when one was seen in the skies above China.

They are meant to carry heavy ordinance and can be controlled from the cockpit of a Chinese J-20 or J-35 via a datalink.

If tests are successful, the GJ-11 would become the world’s first stealth unmanned fighter aircraft.

Robot dogs

Robot wolves made a cameo flanking another unmanned ground system, which appeared to be an aerial drone launching platform.

These mechanical dogs have become a fascination for arms manufacturers in countries like China and Russia, who love to show off the systems with little demonstration of what they could actually achieve on any battlefield.

Videos previously circulated on Chinese training drills show these contraptions, mounted machine guns included, entering into dangerous areas ahead of human infantry.

Some online posts claim the robot wolves can hunt in AI-controlled packs, as well as carry out surveillance or logistical tasks.

However, there are no real-world examples of these drones actually having been successful on the battlefield.

While everyone loves a grand airshow or display of military might, seasoned generals will say they are no real reflection of military might.

Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army, said while the hardware on show was likely newer than most of its Western equivalents, it does not suggest it’s better.

“Newer does not always mean better however. While most western military equipment has been tested in Iraq, Ukraine and elsewhere, none of China’s new kit has,” he said.

And then there is the old adage that “infantry wins battles, logistics wins war”.

The majority of the struggle faced by armies is sustaining the fight, keeping their tanks fuelled and their soldiers fed and watered.

Nowhere in Tiananmen Square was there proof that China has been working as hard on this element as it has been with the sexier side of conflict.

Maj-Gen Ryan added: “Parades are not indicators of warfighting effectiveness. Notwithstanding the impressive orchestration of the parade, and highly synchronised music and marching, these have almost zero impact on the measurement of military effectiveness.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also introduced another key consideration to the idea that external optics reflects military effectiveness.

Similar parades and propaganda had the world believing that Moscow’s army was the world’s second-strongest, only behind the United States.

Western intelligence suggested Russia should have been able to use its forces to capture Ukraine within weeks.

Instead, it got bogged down in a conflict that it still can’t win against a vastly inferior fighting force.

“I watched Putin’s 2020 Victory parade in Moscow. Similar goose stepping, satraps, and rows of ‘modern’ equipment,” said John Foreman, a former British military attache to Moscow.

“It didn’t stop his TikTok army getting smashed in the face by Ukrainians in 2022.”

Xi, Putin, Kim witness giant military parade together in Beijing

In Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on Wednesday, Chinese soldiers march during a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood shoulder-to-shoulder on Wednesday for a display of Chinese military might in Beijing, including its latest nuclear-capable missiles, laser weapons and a new stealth fighter-jet.

The massive parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing's Tiananmen Square was the first time the three leaders had been seen together publicly.

Xi engaged in lengthy handshakes first with Kim and then moved on to Putin before the three walked side by side along a red-carpeted route to their viewing position on a rostrum in Tiananmen Square to join 50,000 guests gathered for a march-past of 10,000 troops flanked by the latest military hardware and more than 100 aircraft overflying the square.

Among the equipment on display were new hypersonic and nuclear Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles, including a new DF-5C version of the Dongfeng-5, said to be capable of reaching the United States, the DF-26D and the DF-61, as well as new AI-enabled autonomous weapons.

The military's new J-20S twin-seater stealth fighter was given its first outing, but in a static display, and did not fly.

The 70-minute-long parade also showcased new branches of the People's Liberation Army, including Aerospace Force, Cyberspace Force and Information Support Force.

However, Xi sought to present the growing military might on display as a force for peace with helicopters flying banners that read "Justice will prevail. Peace prevails. The people prevail," and a speech in which he said that in an ever more dangerous world, China would always make a principled stand.

"Today, humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum," Xi said. China's people, he added, "firmly stand on the right side of history".

But at the same time, he stressed that as a great nation, China "is never intimidated by any bullies" and warned that his country was "unstoppable".

"Strength may prevail for a time, but over the long arc of history, it is reason that wins. Justice, light, and progress will always triumph over evil, darkness, and reaction," he said.

Only two Western leaders were present and no representatives of any of China's wartime allies, which included the United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the then-U.S. colony of the Philippines, were invited.

The conspicuous show of unity and muscle-flexing prompted a scathing response from U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused the trio of plotting against the United States and bemoaned the fact that the event ignored America's contribution in helping defeat the Japanese army in China.

"The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and 'blood' that the United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader. Many Americans died in China's quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice!" Trump wrote on his social media platform.

"Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America."

Xi's speech did nod to the contribution made by allies, saying China would never forget the help it received from "foreign governments and international friends," in defeating the Japanese army, which formally surrendered to the then-nationalist government on Sept. 3, 1945.