The PLA showed two versions, one massive one designed for naval air defense, another that looked smaller and truck-mounted for to protect troops on the ground.

Lasers are among a class called “directed energy weapons,” which can also include high-powered microwave systems. Rather than using projectiles for a kinetic kill, these weapons rely on electromagnetic energy to disable a target through heat, disruption of internal electrical systems, or blinding of sensors such as optics and radar.

Directed energy weapons are more economical than kinetic weapons, with a shot from a laser costing just a fraction of a bullet or missile. Logistics are easier too as heavy metal projectiles don’t need to travel with the weapon, just its energy source.

An edge in industrial capacity

The huge volume of military hardware exhibited shows that China has the industrial might to back up its words, and perhaps eventually enforce Xi’s vision of the world.

It’s the kind of industrial capacity the US put together to win World War II, the end of which Wednesday’s parade was said to commemorate.

But while US industry spelled the end of the Axis powers 80 years ago, America now doesn’t have the capacity to turn out weaponry in the numbers that China can.

“What the Chinese are demonstrating here is an ability to develop advanced military capabilities by themselves, deploy them operationally and do it faster than what you’re seeing happen in the West,” said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst in defense strategy at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). “And also do it in larger volume in terms of sheer numbers of weapons deployed.”

Numbers leaning toward Beijing

An analysis published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the eve of the parade showed some of the math tipping in Beijing’s favor.

China’s defense spending has increased 13-fold in the past 30 years, according to the CSIS report, authored by Matthew Funaiole and Brian Hart, fellows in the CSIS China Power Project.

While Beijing still spends only about a third of what the US does on defense, it’s been closing the gap rapidly, cutting it in half in the past 12 years, according to the report.

But regionally, the defense spending gaps are not even close.

“China towers over its neighbors, spending five times as much on defense as Japan and nearly seven times as much as South Korea—two key US allies in the region,” the CSIS report said.

The starkest difference with the US comes at sea.

China is expected to have 48% more battle force ships than the US by 2030, the report says.

A 2023 paper by a professor at the US Naval War College, looking at the history of naval wars, found that the bigger fleet almost always wins.

Some have said the US can maintain an edge through technology like AI-powered drones. But Wednesday’s military parade showed that might be a false hope.

A AJX002 underwater drone passes in the military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender held in front of Tiananmen Gate in Beijing, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.

The PLA’s formations were packed with drones – for combat on the ground, in the air and at sea.

“The unmanned systems that the Chinese are displaying today are quite significantly advanced. They seem to be more advanced in some respects than what we’re seeing in the West, and they’re in operational service,” said the ASPI’s Davis.

And those are just for offensive combat roles.

Drone defense, through the aforementioned lasers, for example, may also be leaning in Beijing’s favor.

“We’re basically seeing before us what the Chinese describe as intelligent warfare,” said Ankit Panda, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “You see a lot of autonomous capabilities, network capabilities, modern 21st century warfighting systems.”

The value of experience

While the formations parading through and above Beijing on Wednesday provided startling visuals, putting them together into a coordinated fighting force requires a lot that couldn’t be seen.

“China famously hasn’t fought in a proper high-intensity conflict, arguably since the Korean War, certainly since the Sino-Vietnamese war (in 1979). So, what does that tell us about their ability to prevail? As we learned from Russia’s experience in Ukraine, you can’t just count the beans,” said Panda.

Meanwhile, by way of comparison, it’s hard to argue with the US military’s ability to put firepower on target.

The US strike on Iranian nuclear sites in June, when seven B-2 stealth bombers dropped 14 of the world’s most powerful conventional weapons on target while not drawing any counterfire, is hard to imagine within China’s current abilities.

The flag-guarding air echelon flies over Tian’anmen Square during a grand gathering to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War on September 3, 2025 in Beijing, China.

For one thing, the PLA Air Force has yet to show a stealth bomber in the B-2’s category, although one is said to be in the works. Even then, the next generation US bomber, the B-21, is already in the prototype stage.

So, there’s a wariness in the analyst community, even after the impressive show in Beijing Wednesday.

Retired Australian Army Maj. Gen. Mick Ryan said he believed the US remained the strongest military in the world, “but probably by a lesser margin than it has been for many decades” with China closing the gap.

“The Chinese military is very technologically sophisticated… but most importantly, it just about builds everything it needs indigenously,” he told CNN, adding that it means Beijing could not be “coerced” by foreign weapon suppliers.

But he noted none of the weapons on display have been tested in combat.

“Impressive on the surface, parades are not a good indicator of military effectiveness,” Ryan said.