China has staged an impressive display of its military might to mark its Victory Day, a commemoration of the end of World War II, which Beijing couches as its defeat of Japanese forces and – crucially – fascism.

Since Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, as head of the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army, spending on arms has more than doubled – some say quadrupled.

And there was a clear message to the rest of the world in the display of weapons paraded through Tiananmen Square.

Produced by Mark Owen, Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.