What Did the September 3 Parade Mean?

Sinica Podcast

Kaiser Kuo

Currentaffairs, Business, News, China Politics, Shenzhen, Chinese, Chongqing, China News, Politics, China, Culture, Sichuan, Hangzhou, Beijing, International Relations, China Economy, Chengdu, Film, Shanghai, Guangzhou

4.7 • 710 Ratings

🗓️ 10 September 2025

⏱️ 103 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week on Sinica, I speak first with retired Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, a frequent commentator on Chinese military and security affairs and a prolific writer now at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, and with Rana Mitter of the Harvard Kennedy School and author of Forgotten Ally, a book about World War II in China.

4:08 – The primary objectives behind the September 3rd parade

10:03 – China’s position in the global arms market

14:45 – The strategic importance of the new weapons on display

21:10 – China, Russia, and North Korea: strategic dynamics

33:14 – Perspectives on the China–Russia relationship

44:13 – Avoiding security dilemma spirals

50:32 – Rana Mitter: Wartime memory, national narratives, and the 2025 shift

57:06 – Narratives of China’s role in World War II

01:19:01 – The significance and performative Dimension of the 2025 parade

01:26:26 – China’s postwar role and evolving global ambitions

Recommendations:

Rana: Face-Off (podcast), Enchanted Revolution by Xiaofei Kang

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Transcript

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