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)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping shake hands at the meeting of the BRICS delegation heads, in St. Petersburg, Russia, September 5, 2013. (Igor Russak/Host Photo Agency via Getty Images)
Escorted by Chinese military personnel, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel arrives at Qingdao International Airport April 7, 2014 in Qingdao, China. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping (4th, L) meets with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott (4th, R) at the Great Hall of the People on April 11, 2014 in Beijing, China. (Parker Song-Pool/Getty Images)