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)
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet during the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. (Zelenskiy via Getty Images)
Taiwanese soldiers of the 58th Artillery Command mobilize a HIMARS missile system to a tactical position as part of the ongoing Han Kuang military exercise in Taichung, Taiwan, on July 12, 2025. (Daniel Ceng via Getty Images)
A US airman loads ammunition, weapons, and other equipment bound for Ukraine during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on February 10, 2022. (US Air Force photo by Mauricio Campino)
A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard with a shotgun as his fellow soldiers install anti-drone nets over a road at an undisclosed location in the eastern Donetsk region on July 8, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump holds up a chart of "reciprocal tariffs" at the White House on April 2, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a press conference for the fourth ministerial meeting of the China-CELAC Forum at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on May 13, 2025, in Beijing. (Tingshu Wang via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a festive reception for foreign leaders attending celebrations of Victory Day on May 9, 2025. (Getty Images)