World must never return to law of jungle: Xi Jinping’s veiled swipe at Trump

In a thinly veiled swipe at rival Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday the world must “never return to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak”.

Xi made the remarks at a banquet after presiding over China’s largest-ever military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the country’s victory over Japan in World War 2. He was joined by 26 heads of state, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Designed to project China’s military might and diplomatic clout, the parade came as US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain relations with allies and rivals alike.

Before the event, Xi said his country was “unstoppable” and would “never be intimidated” by bullies. “Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square.

The Chinese leader’s main message was forward-looking: China is strong, fears no one, and is ready to take a leading role in the world.

“The Chinese people’s rejuvenation cannot be blocked, and the noble goal of the peaceful development of human civilization must triumph,” Xi said.

The 90-minute parade showcased intercontinental ballistic missiles, fighter jets, tanks and other military hardware, some of it displayed publicly for the first time. In never-seen-before scenes, Xi was pictured shaking hands and chatting with Kim and Putin for a group photo. It was the first time the three leaders had met publicly.

The US eyed the gathering warily, as well as the SCO summit in China on Monday that brought together Xi, Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Xi had unveiled his vision of a new world order at the 10-nation meet in Tianjin, calling for unity against “hegemonism and power politics”.

Trump, who was not invited to the festivities in Beijing, took to social media as the parade got underway to question whether Xi would recognise the contributions of Americans who fought in the war.

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” Trump lashed out.

PM Modi was not present at Xi’s mega show, despite sharing the stage with him and Putin just two days ago. Their warm exchanges went viral, in what some saw as the start of a new world order that doesn’t rely on Washington.

– Ends

With inputs from Agencies

Tune In