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)
Maxar satellite imagery from June 22, 2025, shows extensive building damage across the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center following recent airstrikes. Multiple rooftops appear collapsed or charred in today's post-strike image. (Maxar Technologies satellite image via Getty Images)
An operational timeline of a strike on Iran is displayed during a news conference with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen Dan Caine. (Andrew Harnik via Getty Images)
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pose for a picture after signing a 25-year strategic cooperation pact on March 27, 2021. (Getty Images)
The opening meeting of the third session of the Fourteenth National People’s Congress is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2025. (Ding Haitao via Getty Images)
A US Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber performs a fly-over during the Speed of Sound Airshow at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Missouri, on September 14, 2024. (U.S. Air National Guard)
US Vice President JD Vance speaks with NATO Secretary General during a meeting in Munich, southern Germany, on February 14, 2025. (Tobias Schwarz via Getty Images)