Trump Skips Beijing’s Parade, Dodging a Blush

Who’s not coming, and why
Twenty-six foreign heads of state and government have been invited to attend the 9/3 Victory Day military parade in Beijing. One feature stands out: not a single “great power” will show up. And in the past few days, European outlets have zeroed in on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, asserting that “Xi Jinping is turning China into the centre of a ‘new anti‑Western order’.”
 
“The main countries of Europe and America are collectively absent, and Japan and South Korea are not on the list either. Japan even urged other countries to stay away from these events, underscoring the geopolitical divide.” Taiwan’s Central News Agency added: “Friction between China and Western countries over trade, technology, the Russia–Ukraine war and human rights issues may lead those countries to opt out of such high‑profile political commemorations.” Note: Slovakia is the only EU member state in attendance.
 
Is attendance the point?
Do the “great powers” need to show up at a pageant that symbolises the end of 300 years of Western hegemony? Deutsche Welle reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the SCO summit in Tianjin, called for a reordering of global politics, saying “the Europe‑centric, trans‑Atlantic‑centric model has run its course.” Agence France‑Presse said that when Xi Jinping met leaders in Tianjin, he lambasted bullying in the current world order, with the aim “to underscore Beijing’s central role in regional affairs.” Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters that “the Global South is no longer the silent majority or a vast, backward expanse – it represents an awakened new force and a new hope in a once‑in‑a‑century transformation.”
 
If the “great powers” won’t go to Beijing, so be it – there’s no need to force it. But to spin “no Western leader attended” as China’s embarrassment is, frankly, putting the wrong hat on the wrong head.
 
The Trump–Yalta fantasy
Some pundits had speculated Trump might attend the event, and that if a US–China–Russia trio actually materialised at the Beijing parade, the symbolism would rival the Yalta Conference – in February 1945 the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union met in Yalta to design the post‑war order.
 
That talk is just froth – not worth a second look. To borrow an analogy, Trump fancies himself the Son of Heaven of the Zhou (the Emperor of Zhou Dynasty) – though he most resembles the last of them, Emperor Nan. That said, America’s sway still holds. Didn’t the “seven European powers” previously – together with Zelenskyy – march into the White House to pay homage to Washington? And the United States announced that, before the September UN General Assembly, it had revoked visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority.
 
Nine Tripods, UN visas, and debt
The UN is headquartered in the United States. With a word, Washington can refuse visas and deprive anyone of the right to petition the UN for justice. All this is the very aura of the Nine Tripods in the hands of the Son of Heaven – and, to be fair, the comparison to Emperor Nan is actually not a bad fit.
 
Emperor Nan of Zhou – personal name Ji Yan, also called Chengjun – is best known for being “buried under a mountain of debt.” He borrowed from his subjects: “but, unable to repay, could only climb a high podium to hide from his creditors. The people of Zhou named the podium the Debt‑Dodging Terrace. Dependent on others for shelter and ashamed of his evasion, he was called “Nan”, the Blushing Emperor .”
 
Baidu Baike also records this: “In the fifty‑ninth year of Emperor Nan of Zhou – 256 BCE – the Son of Heaven allied with the lords to attack Qin, but was no match and lost. After defeat he offered up all the cities. That same year Ji Yan died, and Qin took possession of Zhou’s Nine Cauldrons – symbols of the heavenly authority. Seven years later Qin destroyed Eastern Zhou, and the Zhou dynasty perished.”
 
Any resemblance is purely coincidental. The United States owes more than US$37 trillion in public debt. Trump may not fear “default” – borrow long, roll it over and let size make it too big to fail. That said, voices in the Russian parliament once proposed moving the UN headquarters to China or Brazil – tantamount to stripping the United States of its Nine Cauldrons.
 
Looking back at reports from a decade ago, the Russian made its case plainly: “America’s global influence has declined significantly, and its behaviour and image are becoming ever more aggressive. We should therefore discuss moving the UN headquarters out of New York.”
 
Anyone with common sense would agree – I back it one hundred percent!

Deep Blue

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

Storm clouds are gathering. As Kim Jong Un prepares to stand alongside Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping at Beijing’s September 3 military parade, the West senses an upheaval “once in a century”—and it has arrived.

This Xi’s diplomatic victory. As the BBC observed, “the Chinese leader is signalling that he may hold the geopolitical cards in this game.”

The parade, marking 80 years since victory over Japan, will spotlight China’s military might at a moment calculated to force the US to acknowledge a new reality. Washington hinted that Trump will tour Asia in October, even contemplating a summit with Xi.

Manila’s Fading Safety Net

Meanwhile, in Manila the cicadas chirp among yellowing leaves—the Philippine Navy has spotted a Chinese tug boat near Second Thomas Shoal, yet insists its grounded warship, the Madre de Dios, is untouchable. Defense Secretary Teodoro says Manila has “contingency plans” and warns that even one Filipino casualty at China’s hands would cross a “red line.” Their confidence springs from the Mutual Defense Treaty with the US, signed August 30, 1951.

But that alliance looks as aged and brittle as the Madre de Dios itself. The US uses the Philippines to contain China and control the South China Sea narrative; Manila leans on the treaty to punch above its weight. As Western influence wanes and the Global South rises, this “US–Philippines complex” is fraying.

China’s Pageant as Power Play

Xi’s parade isn’t just ceremonial pageantry—it’s a statement of epochal significance. China’s rise rejects three centuries of Western hegemony. Consider The Godfather: Michael Corleone, a decorated WWII hero, needs Mafia tutelage to execute enemies cleanly and restore his family’s honor. Likewise, the West’s vaunted combat record—soft targets bombed, coups orchestrated, all without fingerprints—reveals a gangster’s playbook masquerading as noble crusade. Only America could feign itself as the world’s shining beacon while practicing Mafia-style tradecraft.

So Manila shouldn’t overestimate its treaty safety net. The West and organized crime share one trait: exclusivity. Their inner circle is the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Israel — everyone else is either a squeeze or a sucker. The Philippines? It’s neither Godfather’s heir nor indispensable ally.

The Old Order’s Rusting Leaves

Western hand-wringing over China’s 80th-anniversary celebrations as an “anti-Western axis” only underscores its declining grip. As Reuters notes, the parade unites sanctioned states against a Western-led order—a tableau echoing Xu Hun’s Tang-era lament, where empire crumbles and sorrow reigns.

Autumn has come. The old order rusts, leaves turn brown, and the West’s melancholy runs wild.