Chinese military personnel take part in a rehearsal ahead of a parade commemorating the eightieth anniversary of victory in World War II in Beijing on August 20, 2025. (Pedro Pardo via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
US Commerce Secretary Howard William Lutnick and Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Ryosei Akazawa shake hands on on September 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) sails in formation during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on July 28, 2022. (DVIDS)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Xia Yifang via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
A microchip and Taiwanese flag displayed on a phone screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo on April 10, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki via Getty Images)
Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Pakistan activists protest in Lahore after Iran launched an airstrike in Pakistan's south-west Baluchistan province on January 19, 2024. (Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of Taiwan's Vice President and president-elect from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lai Ching-te wait for him to speak at the party's headquarters on January 13, 2024, in Taipei, Taiwan. (Annice Lyn via Getty Images)
Supporters cheer under a huge flag of Taiwan during an election campaign rally of Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih in New Taipei City on January 12, 2024. (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of Lai Ching-te, presidential candidate of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), cheer during an election campaign rally in Keelung, Taiwan, on January 8, 2024. (I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)