By Qamar Bashir
On September 3, 2025, Beijing staged one of the most consequential parades in modern history — a stunning display of military power, technological mastery, and economic confidence. While commemorating the end of World War II, the underlying message was unmistakable: China, backed by its allies, is reshaping the global order, and the United States is no longer in control.
The symbolism was striking. Standing alongside Xi Jinping were Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi, Pakistan’s Anwaar-ul-Haq, and leaders from across the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). What was once an informal alliance has now transformed into a strategic political and economic bloc. These nations, once victims of Donald Trump’s tariffs, sanctions, and unilateral dictates, have now coalesced into a united front, openly rejecting Washington’s domination and charting an independent path forward.
The parade showcased China’s breathtaking technological advances and unprecedented military preparedness. Rolling past the gathered leaders were the DF-5C intercontinental ballistic missile with a staggering range of 20,000 kilometers, the road-mobile DF-61 ICBM designed for rapid deployment, and hypersonic YJ-series missiles capable of penetrating U.S. carrier strike groups at Mach speeds. Among the most discussed revelations were the LY-1 laser systems capable of disabling drones, satellites, and ballistic projectiles within seconds; autonomous submarine drones like the AJX-002 designed for stealth nuclear delivery; swarm-capable torpedo-shaped sea drones; AI-powered “robot wolves” engineered for reconnaissance and battlefield dominance; and the Type-100 intelligent battle tank — a next-generation armored platform integrating real-time data with precision strike capabilities. China’s fully operational nuclear triad of land-based missiles, submarine-launched warheads, and air-deployed systems was on full display, demonstrating its complete strategic deterrence readiness.
For decades, the Pentagon believed U.S. technological superiority was untouchable. But Beijing’s show of force shattered that illusion. Analysts in Washington, Brussels, and Tokyo were forced to confront an undeniable reality: China can now match or exceed U.S. capabilities in precision strike, strategic range, and integrated defense. The balance of power has shifted irreversibly, forcing even America’s closest allies to reconsider where true leadership lies.
Yet China’s dominance is not based on weapons alone; it rests on a deeper foundation of economic strength. Trump’s tariffs, designed to cripple Beijing’s industrial power, instead exposed America’s own vulnerabilities. China today controls over 90 percent of global rare-earth magnet production and nearly 85 percent of semiconductor-grade mineral processing — the very materials required for smartphones, electric vehicles, AI chips, advanced computing, fighter jets, precision missiles, and hypersonic weapons. When Beijing announced export restrictions on seven critical rare-earth elements in early 2025, requiring special licenses for buyers, the shockwaves reverberated across the United States. Tesla halted electric vehicle production. Apple suspended multiple iPhone lines. Lockheed Martin delayed its F-35 fighter jet deliveries. Silicon Valley startups braced for mass layoffs. Defense contractors scrambled to secure emergency stockpiles of materials essential to sustain their production pipelines. For the first time, the United States found itself dependent on Beijing’s will to maintain the heartbeat of its technological infrastructure.
Washington responded by pouring billions into domestic rare-earth mining projects under the Defense Production Act, hoping to reduce reliance on China. But without Beijing’s decades-long refining infrastructure, recovery will take at least a decade, if not longer. Even as Trump threatened harsher tariffs to force China’s compliance, Xi Jinping did not flinch. The world saw, perhaps for the first time, that America’s economic lifeline had shifted decisively eastward.
While Washington reacted defensively, Beijing quietly built an entirely new architecture of global trade and influence. Through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China has connected more than 150 countries via roads, railways, ports, energy pipelines, industrial zones, and digital corridors. Unlike the West’s traditional dependency model, Beijing offered investment, infrastructure, and market access on terms many developing nations found more equitable. Across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, countries that once relied on U.S. aid and NATO trade structures are now participating in Beijing’s economic ecosystem. By empowering local economies through financing and infrastructure, China created an alternative model of prosperity — one based on cooperation rather than coercion.
India’s defiance of Washington perfectly captures this new reality. When the U.S. demanded New Delhi stop importing discounted Russian oil, India firmly rejected the ultimatum, declaring that no foreign power had the authority to dictate its survival strategy. Through partnerships with Russia, Iran, and China under SCO frameworks, India secured energy stability, modernized its infrastructure, and strengthened its role in regional connectivity projects. Russia, for its part, proved remarkably resilient against U.S. and EU sanctions. Instead of buckling under Western economic isolation, Moscow deepened its energy and defense ties with Beijing and New Delhi, shifted trade settlements into yuan and rupees, and bypassed dollar-dominated systems. This acceleration of de-dollarization weakened Washington’s financial leverage and strengthened the SCO bloc’s independence.
This alliance of Trump’s intended economic “targets” has evolved into an integrated powerhouse. The SCO bloc now represents nearly half the world’s population, accounts for 30 percent of global GDP, and controls over 40 percent of global oil and gas reserves. By aligning supply chains, financial systems, and technological ecosystems, these nations have built collective resilience capable of resisting U.S. pressure. Where Trump’s tariffs once aimed to divide and weaken, they have instead unified and empowered an alternative leadership.
At the same time, the Western bloc is fracturing. The once-cohesive alliance of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union is splintering under the weight of Trump’s unilateral policies. European nations, increasingly frustrated with Washington’s dictates on trade, defense, immigration, and foreign policy, are asserting their independence. This shift became unmistakable when Trump offered unconditional U.S. support for Israel during the Gaza conflict. The move alienated much of Europe, which faced growing public pressure over mounting civilian casualties. In a historic development, several European nations — including Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, and multiple Nordic countries — have declared their intent to recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session, directly defying U.S. policy. This unprecedented divergence highlights the erosion of Washington’s influence over its closest allies and demonstrates the widening cracks within NATO’s traditional sphere.
Two competing global models are now emerging. The U.S.-led Western approach remains rooted in military interventions, sanctions, and economic dominance, using pressure to force compliance while destabilizing regions and fueling refugee crises. In contrast, the China-led model prioritizes economic inclusion, infrastructure investment, fair trade, and mutual respect for sovereignty. Developing nations across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East increasingly see tangible benefits from Beijing’s partnerships — schools, hospitals, roads, digital connectivity — while associating Washington’s interventions with bombing campaigns, regime changes, and social collapse.
In his parade address, Xi Jinping underscored this vision of inclusive leadership, declaring that no force on Earth can stop China’s rise but emphasizing that the world is vast enough for every nation to prosper together. His message of fairness, dignity, and mutual respect resonated far beyond Beijing’s immediate circle. The SCO bloc and Belt and Road partnerships now symbolize an aspirational alternative for hundreds of millions seeking growth without subjugation, stability without domination, and prosperity without conditional dependency.
For Washington, this moment represents an existential challenge. Trump’s tariffs, sanctions, and coercive diplomacy — once feared — now appear hollow against an integrated multipolar order. U.S. dominance is eroding not on the battlefield but in boardrooms, investment platforms, and supply chains. America now faces a stark choice: adapt to this transformed reality, cooperate within a new framework of equality, and rebuild global trust — or cling to outdated tools of force and economic manipulation until its influence fades into irrelevance.
On September 3, 2025, Beijing delivered a message that echoed across continents. China is no longer rising — it is leading. And it leads not through conquest but through trade, technology, investment, and inclusion. The world is reorganizing around this reality, and for the first time in a century, Washington is no longer writing the script.
About writer:Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former Press Attache to Malaysia
Former MD, SRBC | Macomb, Michigan, USA
