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In Beijing, Xi Jinping is preparing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan with great pomp and circumstance. Hypersonic missiles, underwater drones, and armored vehicles will parade down Chang'an Avenue before Vladimir Putin and more than twenty invited heads of state. The message is clear: to showcase China's military power and reiterate its ambition to rival the United States by mid-century.

Behind this display, a vast purge is shaking up the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Over the past two years, more than forty senior officials—including two defense ministers and two vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission—have disappeared or been dismissed. The campaign aims to eradicate what is considered endemic corruption and tighten the Party's authority. It particularly affects strategic sectors: nuclear forces, defense industries, and the department responsible for arms procurement.

Xi has made military modernization a pillar of his “Chinese dream” project. Since 2012, he has transformed an army considered obsolete into a global naval power and quadrupled the nuclear arsenal. US intelligence agencies believe that he wants the PLA to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. The current purge, unprecedented in its scale after more than a decade of rule, reflects both his control and his dissatisfaction with the progress made.

The leader demands a “red and expert” army: technologically advanced but totally loyal to the Party. For him, political discipline is the key to combat readiness. The fall of figures once close to Xi also illustrates his desire to limit the autonomy of military clans. Investigations have revealed fraud in the construction of missile silos and arms purchases, undermining modernization plans in the short term. But Beijing is betting that this clean-up will strengthen the reliability of its forces in the long term.

Beijing's military display therefore has a dual purpose: it is a technological showcase for the outside world and an internal reminder that “the Party commands the rifle.” On the eve of his expected fourth term in 2027, Xi intends to show that he remains the sole master of the armed forces and of China's future. The Washington Post

IN SHORT

🇺🇸 United States • Donald Trump has stated that China does not pose a military threat to Washington, despite the grand parade in Beijing attended by Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un. The US president assured that he has “very good relations” with Xi and believes that Beijing is more dependent on Washington than vice versa. Confident in the military superiority of the United States, he said it was unimaginable that China would use its forces against tm.

🇷🇺 Russia - 🇺🇦 Ukraine • Moscow launched a massive attack last night with 526 drones and missiles, targeting the west of the country and hitting nine regions, including Kiev and Lviv, killing at least nine people and injuring seven. Essential infrastructure was destroyed, leaving 30,000 people without electricity. Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Vladimir Putin's “impunity” and called for new sanctions, while Sergey Lavrov demanded international recognition of the annexed Ukrainian regions.

🇫🇷 France - 🇺🇦 Ukraine - 🇺🇸 United States • Emmanuel Macron, Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders will meet tomorrow with Donald Trump after their Paris summit on security guarantees for Ukraine. The meeting of the “coalition of the willing,” co-chaired by Macron and Starmer, is expected to bring together some 30 countries ready to strengthen military support for Kyiv. Zelensky hopes to use this exchange to argue for new sanctions against Russia.

🇮🇱 Israel • Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir opposes Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to launch an offensive on Gaza City, considering the operation too risky for the 48 hostages still being held and fraught with humanitarian consequences. Reservists united under the banner “Soldiers for the Hostages” are already refusing to participate, while some Likud ministers are supporting the army against the Prime Minister, who is insisting on the complete release of the captives before any truce. This confrontation is accentuating the rift between the political leadership and the IDF

🇪🇸 Spain • Pedro Sánchez considers the European response to the war in Gaza to be “a failure”, denouncing a “double standard” compared to Ukraine that undermines the credibility of the West. The Spanish Prime Minister, the first European leader to describe the Israeli offensive as genocide, believes that Gaza is “one of the darkest episodes” in 21st-century international relations and calls on the EU to suspend its strategic partnership with Israel and act more coherently on the world stage. The Guardian

🇱🇧 Lebanon – 🇮🇱 Israel • UNIFIL has condemned a “serious attack” by Israeli drones that dropped four grenades near its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, without causing any injuries. The UN points out that the Israeli army had been informed of the ongoing clearance operations and condemns this as a violation of international law and Resolution 1701. This attack, considered one of the most serious since the end of the Israel-Hezbollah war in November 2024, comes as the Security Council has set the withdrawal of peacekeepers for 2027.

🇵🇰 Pakistan • ISIS has claimed responsibility for yesterday's suicide bombing at a Baluchistan National Party rally in Quetta, which left 15 people dead and 38 wounded. The suicide bomber detonated an explosive charge in the parking lot of a stadium where hundreds of activists had gathered. The province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is regularly hit by attacks from the regional branch of ISIS or Baluch separatist groups denouncing the exploitation of its resources by federal authorities and foreign investors.

🇪🇺 European Union – 🇧🇷 Mercosur • The European Commission has approved the free trade agreement with Mercosur, described as the largest ever signed. The text provides for the elimination of more than €4 billion in annual customs duties on European exports and the controlled opening of the European agricultural market, with quotas and a safeguard clause to protect sensitive sectors. Supported by Paris thanks to these safeguards, the agreement still has to pass through the European Parliament, where its adoption remains uncertain, and be validated by the 27 member states.

🇹🇭 Thailand • The ruling party is calling for the dissolution of Parliament and new elections to end the political crisis, following the dismissal of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra by the Constitutional Court for ethical misconduct. The main opposition party supports Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai party, on condition that he calls legislative elections within four months and undertakes constitutional reform. King Maha Vajiralongkorn must decide whether to accept the requested dissolution.

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