As the cannon fire echoed through Tiananmen Square, even before the first set of troops goose-stepped their way through Beijing’s central avenue, the day’s most enduring image unfolded.

China’s President Xi Jinping welcomed North Korea’s Kim Jong Un with a long handshake, then moved on to greet Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and then walked to his seat, flanked by two of the world’s most sanctioned leaders.

It was sheer political theatre. And it was this meeting – rather than the weaponry – that appears to have irked US President Donald Trump.

As the parade began, Trump sent a sharply-worded message on Truth Social, accusing the three leaders of conspiring against America.

This may well have been the reaction President Xi had hoped for as he kept Putin to his right and Kim to his left throughout the parade. The moment may have even been designed to infuriate a US president who would perhaps prefer to be the centre of the world’s attention.

The Chinese leader has stolen the limelight, and he’s using it to show his power and influence over an eastern-led alliance – a defiant group determined to push back against a US-led world order.

It is a strong message from Xi as the world reels from the unpredictability of Trump’s presidency. Besides Kim and Putin, there were more than 20 other foreign heads of state. Just earlier this week, Xi also appeared to be resetting his troubled relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump’s 50% levy on Indian imports has prompted a thaw between the long-time rivals.

Wednesday’s spectacle was supposed to be about commemorating an 80-year-old victory over Japan. But it was actually about where China is headed – right to the top, with Xi playing the role of a global leader.

And at his feet was a military that is being built to rival the West.

That was the last time the leaders of the three countries were together. It was the height of the Cold War, China was isolated from much of the world, as was North Korea, and the Soviet Union was the most powerful and richest among them.

Now, it’s China that holds the reins in this relationship. Nuclear-armed but still poor, North Korea needs Beijing’s aid. And Putin needs the legitimacy that Xi just provided him.

In the past, Xi appeared to keep his distance from Putin and Kim, and publicly maintain a neutral stance on the war in Ukraine. He did not condemn it, but denied China was helping Russia.

It even seemed like he was on the sidelines as Russia and North Korea grew closer more recently. Kim has been sending troops to support Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in exchange for money and technology.

But now he seems to be standing by his two neighbours, even as they continue to attack Kyiv.

“Today humanity is again faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero sum,” Mr Xi told the watching crowds, along with millions glued to the parade coverage on state TV across the country.

China is a “great nation that is never intimidated by any bullies”, he declared.

And the military parade that followed was about showing that – it was a display of power, precision and patriotism.

It started with a gun salute – 80 times to mark 80 years since China’s victory over Japan in World War Two, ending a brutal occupation. The sound bounced off every corner of the square as 50,000 spectators, some of them war veterans, sat in silence.

The choir followed, every single member appearing exactly spaced out as the cameras panned above them. They sang in perfect harmony: “Without the Communist Party, there is no modern China.” Each verse was punctuated by raised fists.

President Xi drove the length of the parade route to inspect his troops before each battle unit took turns to goose-step past their leader. Every joint strike on the tarmac reverberated through the stands.

The rumbling tanks came first in the display of China’s new weapons. But they looked old compared to what followed. A new nuclear-capable missile that can be launched from sea, land and air, hypersonic anti-ship missiles and laser weapons to defend against drone attacks. There were new underwater and airborne drones that can spy on targets.

It appears to be working on some people.

On a bridge overlooking the Tonghui River, crowds had gathered away from the main parade route to try to see the military flypast. Thirty-year-old Mr Rong said he found the parade moving.

“Cherishing this moment is the most fundamental thing we can do. We believe we will retake Taiwan by 2035,” he declared.

This is the rhetoric feared by many on the self-governing island of Taiwan, which China believes is a breakaway province that will one day be united with the motherland. Xi has not ruled out the use of force to achieve that goal. And the weaponry that he showed off on Wednesday, much of which emphasised China’s naval capabilities, is bound to worry Taiwanese leaders.

It also worries many Western nations, especially in Europe, which are still grappling with how to end the war in Ukraine. Many were absent from the parade.

Han Yongguang, 75, shrugged off any suggestion that Western leaders had shunned the parade.

“It’s up to them to come or not,” he said. “They are envious of China’s fast development. To be honest, they are aggressive at heart. We are completely committed to the common prosperity of mankind. We are different.”

This parade has been fuelling a wave of nationalism at a time when China is battling serious domestic challenges: a sluggish economy, a real estate crisis, an ageing population, high youth unemployment and local governments deep in debt.