China displays advanced unmanned weaponry in V-Day military parade

China unveiled its advanced unmanned warfare equipment on Wednesday in a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The latest generation of weapons debuted in the three unmanned combat formations.

Among them, the unmanned land combat formation displayed unmanned vehicles that can carry out various tasks such as reconnaissance, assaults, mine and bomb defusing and removal, and squad assistance.

The unmanned maritime combat formation showcased new types of unmanned underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles, as well as underwater mine-deployment systems, which are capable of hidden deployment and blockage, independent target identification, and group-based attacks.

Last came the unmanned aerial combat formation. The new models of reconnaissance-and-strike drones, unmanned wing planes, unmanned air-domination planes, and unmanned ship-based helicopters are capable of undetectable strikes, expansive coverage, and autonomous coordination. They are redefining the future of aerial warfare.

The parade, held in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square, consists of two parts -- a military review by President Xi Jinping and a march-past of troops.

The unmanned combat formations are one of the seven armament formation groups that belong to the march-past part. The other six series of armament formations -- organized into joint combat-oriented groups -- are the land combat group, maritime combat group, air defense and anti-missile operations group, information warfare group, logistics and equipment support group, and strategic strike group.

Japan officially surrendered on Sept 2, 1945, by signing the Instrument of Surrender. China designated Sept 3 as Victory Day.

The theme of this year's parade is to affirm the Chinese people's commitment to peace and the armed forces' determination to safeguard it.

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.