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)
U.S. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan hosts a multi-lateral meeting with Asian nations, at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2019, Singapore, May 31, 2019. (Lisa Ferdinando)
Chinese Catholics hold candles at a mass on Holy Saturday during Easter celebrations at the government sanctioned West Beijing Catholic Church on April 15, 2017 in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
Chinese military vehicles take part in the Vostok-2018 military exercise held jointly by the Russian Armed Forces and the Chinese People's Liberation Army on September 13, 2018. (China News Service/Getty Images)