Whatever you might think of the politics, the performance was nothing short of perfect.

Tens of thousands of service personnel in lines so straight they could almost have been animated.

Every flex of the foot, every turn of the head, every cry of allegiance exactly in sync.

And the noise, you could feel every bit as much as you could hear.

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The stamp of boots, the rumble of the tanks and the roar of the jet engines literally reverberated through the stand where we were sitting.

“We serve the people” came the cries when called on; the passion, of course, had been practised, but it felt authentic too.

The security to get here spoke volumes about just how tightly controlled this whole event has been.

Our meet time, dictated by the Chinese government, was over seven hours before the start of the parade itself, bussed in at the dead of night, no fewer than three separate rigorous security scans.

But once onto Beijing’s historic Tiananmen Square, we were free to film in places that are normally strictly off limits.

And that is because today, nothing less than China itself, in all its prowess, is on show.

A projection of power

While this parade is officially to mark 80 years since the official surrender of Japan in the Second World War, it is about so much more than that.

It is about the projection of power, both internally and around the world, too.

To the domestic audience, it is about showing just how far China has come since the war.

From a country invaded and ‘humiliated’ by Japan, to a global superpower, all thanks, they say, to the Chinese Communist Party and the vision of President Xi.

It is notable that even in official communications to the foreign media, the objective of “demonstrating loyalty to the party” was listed as a more important motivation than “commemorating” victory in the war and the sacrifices of the Chinese people.

But be in no doubt, they know the world is watching too, and this was also about projecting power internationally.

Close company

That is largely about the military might, of course, the huge array of Chinese-produced, cutting-edge new weaponry was notable. So is the fact that Xi’s reorganisation and modernisation of the military has been a key theme.

But the messaging was also about the power of China’s allegiances and its political heft too.

Indeed, today was especially notable not just for what was on show, but also for who was here.

No accident at all that Xi Jinping was continually staged with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on his right and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to his left.

There has been speculation that the recent blossoming alliance between Putin and Kim has irked China somewhat. No sign of that today, the signals were all that this is a trio in lockstep.

Indeed, Kim rarely leaves his hermit kingdom, and he has never been to a multilateral event as big as this. His presence speaks volumes about his confidence in this company.

All of this comes after four days of intense diplomacy here, where China has hosted leaders from across the world in an attempt to cast itself as a great convener of nations and a preserver of a peaceful global order.

Read more analysis on China:
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It’s a message perhaps a little undermined when stood before such a show of military might, with one leader wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and another sanctioned by much of the world for its accumulation of nuclear weapons.

But perhaps to many, disillusioned with America, this simply doesn’t matter, and that is the gap Xi is successfully exploiting.

Not everyone will be buying in, but this was in some ways a vision for a future Xi would like to see, and it is a vision that’s centred on Chinese power.

Xi Jinping hailed the “great regeneration of China” as he hosted Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un for Beijing’s biggest ever military parade.

The three leaders, who have been labelled the “axis of upheaval”, watched on as troops, tanks, and other military hardware put on a show of force in the Chinese capital.

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After being flanked by his Russian and North Korean counterparts as they emerged together at the start of the ceremony, Mr Xi paid tribute to his country’s soldiers who fought “the Japanese invaders” during World War Two.

Xi: We will defend our sovereignty

The parade marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat, which brought the conflict to an end.

“It is an important part of our history, and we made our contribution to saving the people, defending peace, and ensuring victory,” Mr Xi said.

He called on countries to “look after each other” to “avoid the repetition of tragedy”, before declaring China would “accelerate our development and defend our national integrity and sovereignty”.

Mr Putin and Mr Kim represent two of the Chinese president’s closest allies, with both leaning heavily on Beijing for trade – the former especially reliant since being ostracised by the West over the war in Ukraine.

Trump sends a message

Donald Trump’s attempts to smooth over US-Russia relations, and bring an end to that conflict, have so far not achieved anything significant.

Posting on Truth Social as soldiers marched through Tiananmen Square, the US president suggested China and its allies were conspiring against Washington.

“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration,” he said.

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States.”

For Mr Xi, the parade was a chance not just to commemorate its role in World War Two, but to showcase itself as a significant alternative to a postwar world order dominated by the US.

Mr Trump’s isolationist foreign policy, including cuts to overseas aid, has – according to his critics – given China a tantalising opportunity to flex its muscle.

Concerns remain about whether Beijing may one day make a move on Taiwan, while other nations – notably India – become more drawn into its trade orbit due to Mr Trump’s aggressive tariffs.

The parade came after an economic summit in Beijing, with Indian PM Narendra Modi among the attendees.

China could pose ‘huge threat’ to US

Philip Shetler-Jones, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told Sky News that China’s impressive military – if allied with Russia’s – could “pose a huge threat to American forces” in the Pacific.

“In Japan particularly, people are quite mindful there are joint exercises between Chinese and Russian forces using nuclear-capable bombers, ships, and more recently submarines,” he said.

“I think the intention is to imply that if it came to full-scale conflict involving the US, then China would expect to have collaboration with Russia – and perhaps North Korea as well.”

The alleged GPS jamming of a plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen by Russia raises concerns about air travel – but were there politics at play?

Jamming can overwhelm an aircraft’s GPS navigation systems, preventing them from working properly, leaving pilots to rely on other ways of finding out where they are.

The EU chief’s aircraft was reportedly forced to land at a Bulgarian airport using ‘paper maps’ – after circling for an hour on Sunday.

The EU said there was GPS jamming but the plane was able to land safely, adding: “We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia.”

But the timing of the allegation of GPS jamming – something reported to be routine along the Russian border – days before a crucial meeting of European leaders to discuss peacekeeping troops for Ukraine raises the question of why now?

Sky News has spoken to a pilot who was flying in the same area as Ms von der Leyen on Sunday, as well as a security expert with extensive knowledge of electronic warfare, to try and work out what happened.

What is GPS jamming?

GPS interference has become a known and widespread issue affecting aircraft over Europe in recent years, particularly since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022.

Experts generally point the finger at Russia, saying that Moscow uses GPS interference to defend against Ukrainian drones but maybe also to cause a nuisance for the West.

Jamming can overwhelm an aircraft’s GPS navigation systems, preventing them from working properly, leaving pilots to rely on other ways of finding out where they are.

Read more: How 1,500 flights a day are reportedly GPS jammed

What happened to Ursula von der Leyen?

According to the Financial Times, the ‘attack’ disabled GPS navigation services at Plovdiv airport in Bulgaria on Sunday afternoon.

The aircraft was deprived of electronic navigational aids as it approached, the newspaper said. It circled the airport for an hour before the pilot decided to manually land the plane, apparently using paper maps.

The area is near a known hotspot for GPS interference and blame was quickly levelled at Russia – a claim that Moscow denied. Russia has denied other instances of GPS jamming in the past.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance takes the jamming of GPS signals “very seriously” and is working “day and night” to prevent that jamming, to ensure “they will not do it again”.

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Read more:
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Pilot: Airport is in a known GPS interference area

Sean Fitzpatrick is an experienced pilot who regularly flies through areas known for GPS interference. Indeed, he flew within 40 miles of Plovdiv airport on the same day as Ms Von der Leyen.

He told Sky News: “That airport is in a known GPS interference area. Anyone flying in there would know that there’s a high probability of having GPS issues.”

While GPS jamming is a nuisance, pilots essentially turn off GPS receivers and rely on other aids like the instrument landing system, Sean said.

He added: “When I heard they were pulling out paper charts (to navigate) I’m like, why didn’t they just have an iPad?”

Given that GPS jamming of flights near the Russian border is reported to be routine, Sean was asked if the choice to reveal this particular alleged incident to the media – so close to the coalition of the willing summit this week – was political.

“Based on the information I have, that’s what it looks like… Based on what I’ve seen and the information that’s available to the public and what I know as a professional… I think there’s a bit of politics and sensationalism.”

‘We can make your life difficult’

Dr Thomas Withington, an expert on electronic warfare at the RUSI thinktank, agreed that there could be political angles to what happened.

“I think it’s quite hard to say with any degree of certainty whether her aircraft was deliberately targeted,” he told Sky News, noting that jamming signals are often sent out over a wide area. “But I’m sure that for Mr Putin it’s a very happy coincidence.”

He added: “Politically, what you’re saying is ‘we’re here, we can make your life difficult’.”

He also spoke about the wider impact of GPS jamming – and the possible dangers.

“I think it is important that the news went out there, because I think it indicates that Russia is an irresponsible actor, and these actions are grossly irresponsible, because you’re attempting to create a danger to international air travel, and there is simply no justification for that.”

He referenced the Azerbaijan Airlines flight in December, which was reportedly GPS jammed before it was mistakenly shot down by Russian air defences, killing 38 people.

“If those (Russian) actions cause loss of life, particularly in a NATO nation, I think it should be made very clear that a military response would be considered for that.”