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)
The Republic of Korea and United States conduct combined attack squadron flight and precision bombing drills on October 4, 2022, in South Korea, following North Korea’s ballistic missile launch. (ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff).
The guided missile destroyer USS Barry conducts routine underway operations in the South China Sea on November 21, 2022. (US Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist Molly Crawford)
Policemen stand guard as students take part in an anti-government demonstration in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 18, 2022. (Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images)
Joe Biden welcomes Xi Jinping for his first visit to the United States at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2015. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen via Getty Images)