BBC Live-Broadcasts China Parade with Expert commentary

Source: RDCY

Published: Sep 3, 2025

On September 3, 2025, BBC News aired live coverage of China's military parade, featuring commentary by Wang Wen, Dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University. During the broadcast, Wang addressed topics including the parade's significance, the attendance of international leaders, and related matters. The full interview video and content are provided below.

BBC：And so for more on this, I'm joined by Wang Wen. He's a former chief opinion, editor for the Chinese Communist Party’s English Language Daily at the Global Times, and he’s also now the Dean and professor of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China.

Wang wen, thank you very much for joining us today. Firstly I want to get your thoughts on this parade. In general, a sort of bigger picture of you. What does this mean to you?

Wang wen：I think today all Chinese people are very exciting, cause they are very proud of all of our country’s powerful, rising process. And also through this parade, China hopes to achieve at least three very important goals. 

First, to shape a correct view of World War II history, telling the world that China was a country that made the greatest contribution and sacrifice in the Second World War. 

And secondly, to demonstrate China's strong military and defense capability, warning other powerful country not to bully China again. Cause a few people know that almost all western countries in the history have invaded China over the past century or so, China does not want this history to repeat itself. 

Thirdly, finally, I think China hopes to shape new international peace. China does not want to become the new hegemony power. In fact, China is the only major economy that has not participated in or caused a war in the past four decades. 

So I think practice have proved that the stronger China, the more peaceful the world.

BBC：Yeah, and that’s the second point that you were talking about the sort of growing of military capabilities that China has. And you’re saying that this is really a demonstration of peace through strength. 

Wang wen：Yes. I think now it’s a peaceful development. 

BBC：But you’ve described in the past that the growing links between countries in the Global South are reconstructing the global order, there’s an absence, a very visible absence of western leaders at the parade today is this. And explicitly, is the sort of signal that the global order is being shaken up?

Wang wen：I think China is very grateful that so many leaders of emerging economy and countries from Global South coming to China to attend the military parade. However, as you mentioned, it's a very pity that western leaders did not attend the Chinese parade. Many of these countries, such as UK, U.S.,  should have celebrated 80th anniversary of victory in the World War II with China, and share the China’s historical memory of fighting fascism. But they declined to accept China’s invitation. This is very regrettable.

But however, on the other hand, I think that is the loss of the West. The West lost an opportunity to witness history and also lost an opportunity to better understand and observe China’s rising military power and strategic resolve up closely. 

So from this perspective, I think that the Chinese don’t care whether they attend the parade or not. After all, the vast majority of the country in the world send high-level representatives, demonstrating an unprecedented era of cooperation between China and the world. 

So I think that China doesn't want to be the new hegemony to lead the world. China just want to show our strategic design to cooperate with the world. 

BBC：So just to clarify, you’re saying that these other world leaders, the U.S. the UK and other European leaders were invited to this event, but they declined. 

Wang wen：Yeah, I think so. I think all the countries are from Global South. They all think that UK and U.S. they lost completely the dominance of the world. So that’s why so many leaders they come to China, just to support China historical memory of the World War II, not only including the countries from Europe, from Africa, from Latin America, but also from the Russia, from North Korea, from ASEAN. I think most of the country in the world, they send the high-level representatives to China. 

BBC：Well if we talk about those world leaders that are there. then Vladimir Putin and north Korea's leader Kim Jong un almost the most high profile one. If you take them one at a time, just talk to us about the relationship that China has with Russia.

Wang wen：I think China and Russia made the greatest contributions and sacrifices during World War II. President Putin attendance at the parade was to share our common memory of the second World War. So I think this is a perfectly normal democratic interaction and manifestation of our shared support  for shaping a correct historical perspectives on second World War. So I believe this is not controversial.

I know in a lot of western media they still think this is a very controversial issues. because China provides the international platform,multilateral platform for Russia. But I think I suggest that we must be more realistic about Russia, because Russia cannot be defeated by Ukraine. Even president Trump is adjusting his policy  toward Russia, and interacting with president Putin in Alaska last month. So Why can't some European leaders view Russia realistically？

Really distinctly, I think for China, Russia is a very strategic partner a friend with a shared historical memory a friend with a shared historical memory, and a stakeholder with complementary interest. So I think that China Russia interaction is a very neutral right between two softening power, and especially today, I think no force can separate China Russia relationship.

BBC：Well the criticism from the west will be that Russia has invaded a sovereign country, and  China  almost not condemning them, and by continuing to trade with Russia is inadvertently supporting that effort. If China is so determined to project this image of peace and stability, then could it not use its influence to reign in Vladimir Putin and his attempts to conquer Ukraine which is a sovereign country?

Wang wen：I think China's  positions on  Ukraine Crisis are very very  clear and obvious. And we think that's a very complicated issue, and China is not the part of the crisis, China just want to keep the peaceful solutions.

So on the one hand, China keep the normal diplomatic between Ukraine and Russia, but on the other hand, no one know that in the past three years, China still keep the normal trade bilateral relationship with Ukraine. So I think China is a neutral position, we just want to keep and promote the peaceful solutions. 

we didn't export any military weapons to both sides. We just said and encourage the both of the Russia and Ukraine stay together, and find a peaceful solution. I think this is a what China can do, and it's a very neutral way.

BBC: And Wang wen, just to get your your final thoughts on North Korea and leader Kim Jong un is also present at this parade. What does this mean about the relationship that President Xi has with the north Korean leader?

It's very interesting and a very important question, China and North Korea share a long history of resisting Japanese aggression. I don't know whether you know, this memory can go back not only 80 years, but even 500 years, dating back to the Ming dynasty 500 years ago. So I think as a North Korea leader Mr Kim Jong un's attendance at Chinese military parade demonstrates that both China and North Korea hope to jointly rekindle these shared historical memory, and strengthen our friendship between China and North Korea.

Also I think China warmly welcomes a king John and attendance at the parade. Furthermore, I think as we all know, this is Kim Jong-un's first participation in such a multilateral international event, it's his first time. But this demonstrates North Korea's desire to engage with the world in a more open manner.

So I think that west or  the other countries in the world should welcome North Korea's openness, cause they want to hear that their leader want to engage with a vote  in such an open international multilateral  event and platform. These are good things.

BBC：Wang Wen thanks very much for your thoughts today, I appreciate your time with us.