China’s military carried out a large-scale show of force on Wednesday, brandishing its growing arsenal of high-tech arms including missiles, tanks, warplanes and drones during a World War II anniversary parade in Beijing.

Leading the pack of the new weapons on display were several new nuclear missiles, including the first public reveal of a road-mobile heavy strategic intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed the DF-61.

Other strategic missiles on display in the parade were the new silo-based DF-31BJ and a new variant missile called the DF-5C.

The People’s Liberation Army also showcased its newest nuclear submarine-launched missile, the JL-3.

Hypersonic anti-ship missiles, laser weapons, drone aircraft and underwater vehicles were also paraded through Tiananmen Square during the two-hour parade.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean President Kim Jong-un and other leaders, said: “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable.”

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Mr. Xi also said the people of China in the current era must uphold Marxism-Leninism, the official communist ideology, alongside the ideological offshoots of Mao Zedong and other key Chinese historical figures.

Mr. Xi, the leader of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012, said China is “never intimidated by any bullies,” an indirect reference to the United States, a nation Mr. Xi regards as the leader of world capitalism and strategic ideological foe.

“Today humanity once again faces a choice between peace or war,” he said, urging the PLA to speed up building a world-class military.

The DF-61 appears to be one of new missiles mentioned in annual Pentagon reports on the Chinese military that represents a significant upgrade to China’s nuclear forces.

Until this week, the DF-41, introduced during a military parade in 2019, was the PLA’s most advanced long-range missile.

The upgrade is a key part of what U.S. military officials have called China’s massive and ongoing nuclear weapons expansion.

The commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said in 2021 that China was in “strategic breakout” — an alarming advance in nuclear power capabilities that required an urgent U.S. response.

The clearest indication of the breakout has been the construction of more than 300 nuclear missile silos at three bases in western China.

China’s nuclear warhead stockpile rapidly expanded from around 200 weapons several years ago to 600 today and warhead numbers are expected to grow to 1,000 or more by 2030.

Rick Fisher, a China military affairs analyst, said the DF-61 shown in the parade appears to be using the same mobile launcher as the DF-41.

“So this new missile has new capabilities, perhaps more than 10 multiple warheads, or new multiple hypersonic glide vehicle warheads, again perhaps intended to overcome future U.S. Golden Dome defenses,” said Mr. Fisher, an analyst with the International Assessment and Strategy Center.

On the DF-5C, Mr. Fisher said the new variant shown in the parade appears to have a single large warhead.

However, the official parade announcer said of the DF-5C that the missile has “global strike coverage,” fueling speculation that it may be China’s unique, space-transiting fractional orbital bombardment system, another system intended by China to counter Golden Dome national missile defense, he said.

The new DF-31BJ is designed to be fitted into the hundreds of new silos in western China.

“What is interesting is that DF-31BJ comes in a self-contained cold-launch tube, meaning the tubes can be stored, to be available for rapid reloading, and the silos do not have to be stressed for hot launches, making them cheaper and easier to replicate if required,” Mr. Fisher said.

The DF-31BJ could also be designed to allow the PLA to continue a nuclear war beyond initial salvos in a different manner but similar to their larger mobile ICBMs, he said.

“These new ICBMs along with the multiple warhead capable JL-3s indicate the PLA was likely building up to a much broader nuclear warfighting capability, which would also have long been signaled by its nuclear cooperation with Russia and its building North Korea into a nuclear missile power,” Mr. Fisher said.

“Bottom line: Nuclear deterrence of a combined China-Russia-North Korea threat will require thousands of new U.S. nuclear weapons.”

Other new arms shown off included several hypersonic missiles designed for strikes on U.S. aircraft carriers and warships, and carrier-based jets for China’s two aircraft carriers.

The parade included a display of more than 10,000 goose-stepping troops, part of the PLA’s two million personnel. In addition to traditional services, new troops from the PLA Cyberspace Force, Aerospace Force and Information Support Force — the PLA information warfare arm — took part.

Also shown were Yingji-series missiles that state media has called a “strategic hammer” for naval forces. The YJ-19 missile was shown for the first time and is believed to be a hypersonic missile powered by a scramjet.

An unmanned aerial combat vehicle described as a “wingman” was paraded. The drone is used to support manned fighter aircraft.

A long-range surveillance drone, dubbed CH-9, is the newest in the series and looks very similar to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper strike drone.

China’s advanced fighter called the J-35 that analysts say looks very similar to the U.S. F-35, and the J-15 carrier-based fighter was flown during the parade.

Another new weapon on display was called the LY-1, which was described by official announcers as a “shipborne laser weapon” for naval air defense.

An underwater drone called the HSU100 reportedly can be used for submarine warfare and mine-laying.

The parade also showed a new generation of tank called the Type 100 that state media said is designed to better withstand drone attacks, a new military capability seen in recent fighting in Ukraine.

The new tank is armed with a 105-millimeter-caliber gun, a coaxial machine gun and a remote-controlled weapon station.

PLA military analyst Tong Zhen, writing in the CCP-affiliated Global Times, said the military parade revealed the latest advances in defense technology including unmanned intelligence, underwater operations, cyber and electronic warfare, and hypersonic capabilities. The weapons show the Chinese military’s adoption of technological advancements.

“Emerging technologies such as unmanned combat platforms, AI-driven command systems, long-range precision strike weapons, electromagnetic warfare, and information warfare are rapidly transforming military technology in theory and practice, accelerating the shift toward unmanned and intelligent combat, with technological innovation becoming a critical tool for gaining military advantage,” said Mr. Zhen, of the PLA Academy of Military Science.

• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.