China’s Mass Parade Flags Risks of Trump’s High-Stakes Trade Policy

A grand military parade in Beijing has become a striking showcase of how President Trump’s aggressive trade policy may be backfiring, unintentionally strengthening the very forces it hoped to counter. In a carefully choreographed display marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, China rolled out advanced weaponry, goose-stepping troops, and a projected vision of power and unity that seemed aimed squarely at global audiences.

Analysts say the parade underlined a shifting global balance: Trump's confrontational tariffs and protectionist strategies have rattled allies and pushed countries like India to recalibrate their regional alliances.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent warm rapprochement with Chinese President Xi Jinping, shared with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was widely interpreted as a rebuke to Washington’s pressure tactics.

Observers argue that Trump's heavy tariffs and unilateral approach have created incentives for countries to break from U.S. influence and seek new partnerships, turning rivals into diplomatic bedfellows rather than isolating them. The spectacle also sent a powerful message of Beijing’s growing ambitions as an alternate center of authority in a future multipolar world.
In sum, the parade was more than patriotic theater: it was a visual metaphor for how protectionist trade policies might carry unintended geopolitical consequences, creating risk with no clear reward.

Sources: TBS News, The Guardian, The Business Standard