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)
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects the honor guard of the three services and watches the march-past at the Moscow Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, Russia, on March 20, 2023. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang in Beijing, China, on June 19, 2023. (Foreign Ministry of China/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza City are intercepted by the Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system on October 8, 2023. (Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images)