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)
Minister of Defense of Japan Gen Nakatani and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Ministry of Defense on March 30, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan. (Kiyoshi Ota Getty Images)
A broadcast screen at the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai, India, on April 3, 2025, displays news of US President Donald Trump announcing sweeping new trade tariffs. (Indranil Aditya via Getty Images)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks on during a federal cabinet meeting on June 3, 2025, in Perth, Australia. (Matt Jelonek via Getty Images)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Britain's Defence Secretary John Healey stand in front of a Royal Navy F-35B Lightning fighter jet on the flight deck of the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince Of Wales on April 24, 2025. (Richard Pohle via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for US Ambassador to China David Perdue on May 7, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images)