The “new Axis” on parade? Yes, Xi, Putin, and Kim stood together in Beijing. No, the threat isn’t “greater than the Nazis,” and some headline claims are wrong. The real story is sharper—and more complicated.
Inside Tiananmen Square, the optics were unmistakable: China’s leader hosting Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un as columns of troops and new weapons rolled by. Outside the square, Donald Trump fired off a post: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.” That quote is real. So was the show of force. But a few of the scariest lines in the op‑ed need trimming—and a couple of facts need fixing.
What actually happened in Beijing
- A massive military parade took place on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Tiananmen Square. Xi delivered the keynote and reviewed the troops; official Chinese coverage notes Premier Li Qiang presided as the ceremony’s master of ceremonies. That’s a nuance, but it matters. Sources: Al Jazeera; Reuters; Xinhua (official) — aljazeera.com, reuters.com, english.news.cn
- Trump’s Truth Social line—“Please give my warmest regards…”—is verified. Source: Reuters.
The biggest correction first: shipyards and ship counts
- Bold claim in the op‑ed: “America has two naval dockyards. China has 20—or more.”
- Fact: The U.S. Navy has four public shipyards for carriers and subs—Portsmouth, Norfolk, Puget Sound, and Pearl Harbor—plus several major private yards that build and maintain warships (Newport News, Electric Boat, HII Ingalls, Bath Iron Works, Austal, Marinette, and others). China does have well over 20 large shipyards/dry docks, many “dual use,” and a vast commercial base feeding naval output. But “two vs. 20+” is misleading. Sources: U.S. Navy; CBO; Business Insider — navy.mil, cbo.gov, businessinsider.com
The fleet math that is true—and what it hides
- True: China now has the world’s largest navy by number of battle‑force ships (hulls). The U.S. still leads in tonnage, carrier aviation, and global logistics. Source: USNI/CRS.
- True in spirit: China is “churning out” ships at a pace the U.S. struggles to match. China’s dual‑use shipbuilding empire outclasses America’s commercial base, which matters in a surge. Source: CSIS.
- Context: “USA’s sclerotic arms industry” is an overstatement. The U.S. industrial base has real bottlenecks (munitions, shipbuilding) but retains tech, alliances, and sustainment advantages. Source: CSIS.
What the parade revealed about China’s military
- Spending: Beijing announced another 7.2% defense‑budget rise for 2025, continuing decades of growth. Sources: China’s government portal; SIPRI — english.www.gov.cn, sipri.org.
- High‑tech systems: China has displayed anti‑drone lasers before, and reporting on this parade noted directed‑energy systems among the kit. Their exact real‑world performance isn’t fully verified. Sources: Global Times; FT — globaltimes.cn, ft.com.
- Lessons from Ukraine: PLA writings and U.S. assessments say China is studying Russian failures and investing in drones, counter‑drone, electronic warfare, and integrated command networks. That’s analysis, not proof of battlefield proficiency. Sources: DoD brief; Jamestown — defense.gov, jamestown.org.
- Undersea drones: China has unveiled large unmanned underwater vehicles (like the HSU‑001). How many are operational and how they’re used remains murky. Sources: Defense News; Forbes — defensenews.com, forbes.com.
Is there a “new Axis”?
- The picture: China, Russia, and North Korea stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder in Beijing. Putin publicly thanked Kim for support. Their alignment is tightening, especially Russia–North Korea military ties after a 2024 treaty. Source: Reuters.
- What we can verify: Reports say North Korea has sent munitions—and now troops—to aid Russia. Treat troop numbers with caution; intel claims vary and are hard to independently confirm. Source: Reuters.
- What’s rhetoric: Comparing this bloc to the Nazis or declaring it an “even greater threat” is opinion, not fact. It sets a tone but doesn’t tell you what these states can actually do together.
Carriers: obsolete or just more vulnerable?
- The op‑ed warns that aircraft carriers may be the next battleships—big targets in an age of missiles, subs, and drones. This is a live debate, not settled science. The risk environment is worse, but “obsolescence” isn’t proven. Source: USNI/CRS.
China’s war record—why it matters
- It’s true China hasn’t fought a major war since 1979’s brief but bloody clash with Vietnam, aside from later limited skirmishes. That means the PLA lacks recent combat experience compared to Russia. Source: Wikipedia.
The supply lines behind the strategy
- Energy and minerals are the quiet power. Russia ships more oil and gas east; Moscow and Beijing pushed the Power of Siberia 2 gas project forward this year. Sources: Interfax.
- China dominates processing of critical minerals and has deep stakes in lithium and cobalt across South America and Africa—leverage in any long contest. Sources: FT; IEA; The Diplomat — ft.com, iea.org, thediplomat.com.
Two small but telling tweaks
- “Square of Heavenly Peace” is a literal translation; in English it’s Tiananmen Square. Not wrong, just unusual.
- “A quarter of a century since Bush’s ‘Axis of Evil’” is slightly off. The speech was Jan. 29, 2002—about 23 years and 7 months before the 2025 parade. Source: White House archives.
What’s verified, what needs context, what’s misleading
- Verified
- Xi hosted a large parade with Putin and Kim in attendance; Trump’s quote is accurate. Al Jazeera, Reuters
- China’s defense spending keeps rising; its navy outnumbers the U.S. by hull count; counter‑drone lasers have been publicly shown. english.www.gov.cn, USNI, globaltimes.cn
- Russia–North Korea military cooperation is deepening. Reuters
- Needs context
- Misleading/Incorrect
The bottom line
- The threat signal is real: China’s defense machine keeps growing, Russia and North Korea are closer, and Beijing’s shipyards are a structural advantage.
- The scariest lines in the op‑ed are rhetoric: “greater than the Nazis,” carrier obsolescence, and a shrunken view of U.S. industry.
- The real contest is industrial capacity, logistics, and minerals as much as missiles and ships.
What to watch next
- China’s shipbuilding tempo and any expansion of carrier or submarine programs. USNI
- Confirmed evidence of North Korean troop deployments to Russia—numbers, roles, and duration. Reuters
- Movement on Power of Siberia 2 and new critical‑minerals controls—quiet levers that shape long wars. Interfax, IEA
Our method, briefly We cross‑checked parade details with on‑the‑record video and state readouts, verified quotes through wire services, pulled shipyard data from Navy and CBO documents, and tested capability claims against USNI/CSIS/Jamestown analysis. Where sources conflict or rely on intelligence leaks, we flag uncertainty.
In short: Wednesday’s spectacle was a message—and parts of it should worry Western planners. But the truth is more precise, and more useful, than panic. It’s not the goose‑step that matters; it’s the supply chain behind it.