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)
(L to R) President-elect Donald Trump and Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba Group, at Trump Tower, January 9, 2017 in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force members wave to the Izumo helicopter carrier on March 25, 2015 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen waves to supporters during a rally campaign ahead of the Taiwanese presidential election on January 15, 2016 in Taipei, Taiwan. (Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)