China has unveiled a new "triad" of nuclear missiles, drones and lasers at the country's largest ever military parade.
Formations of warplanes and helicopters flew above Beijing's Tiananmen Square after trucks carrying weaponry rolled along streets for all the world to see in a show of strength.
Marching with an estimated 10,000 soldiers of the Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) was a new cyberspace unit, which is responsible for cybersecurity defence measures.
President Xi Jinping and more than 20 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, watched on.
"Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum," Mr Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators.
Here's a look at some of the weaponry officially revealed at the parade.
Nukes that can be launched from anywhere
China for the first time showed off its triad of nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from sea, land and air.
State news outlet Xinhua said the missiles were China's strategic "ace" power to safeguard the country's sovereignty and dignity.
Among the new missiles revealed at the parade was the Dongfeng-5C, or DF-5C, an intercontinental strategic nuclear missile with a "global reach", according to Xinhua.
It is the latest iteration from a missile programme China began in the 1970s.
It would be launched from a silo in northern China, and is capable of releasing multiple, independent warheads on a single target.
It could allow China to send a strike that would be hard for the US to defend against — potentially by going into orbit like a satellite and dropped to hit a target, Tong Zhao, an expert in China's nuclear weapon systems from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told the ABC.
It also likely features technology linked to China's new launch-on-warning capability.
"This would allow China to launch nuclear retaliation before the enemy's missiles land on China," Dr Zhao said.
Security expert Jennifer Parker told the ABC China had also shown off a new mobile intercontinental ballistic nuclear missile that likely has hypersonic capabilities, known as a DF-61.
Unlike the DF-5C, it can be easily relocated.
"Effectively, it's on the back of a truck which means it can be moved around the country," she said.
Several models of hypersonic anti-ship missiles, like the YJ-15 , YJ-17 and YJ-19 were also debuted.
Dr Zhao said these were upgraded conventional missiles and "would be more capable than previous models of penetrating enemy air defences".
Australia doesn't have hypersonic missiles, but is hoping they will be delivered under the AUKUS arrangement.
Drones underwater and in the sky
China has advanced underwater drones and Ms Parker said it appeared there were two new types on display in the parade.
One was an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance model and the other would be used for offensive purposes.
"It's probably got explosives in the front of it, or the ability to deploy explosives," Ms Parker told the ABC.
She said they could be a concern, particularly to Western forces in the Pacific.
"[China] seems to be ahead of other countries," Ms Parker said.
"They seem to be accelerating the ability to integrate offensive capabilities — mines, torpedoes, explosives — into them."
However, she stressed that just because they had been seen on the back of a truck at a parade, it didn't mean the underwater drones' capabilities had been proven.
Ms Parker said it was clear from what was seen at the parade that China had been focusing on uncrewed aerial, underwater and ground vehicles.
China has been talking up AI integration, and its aerial drones' ability to operate with fighter aircraft piloted by humans.
"We don't know if that's true, you can't tell that from the back of a truck, but clearly they are investing in uncrewed capabilities," she said.
The parade also featured unmanned helicopters designed to be launched from ships.
Lasers to down drones and missiles
Directed energy weapons, or lasers, were also shown off.
These are used to counter drones and missiles, Ms Parker said.
Given the cost of using missiles, which can be several million dollars each, militaries have been searching for less expensive ways to deal with drones, she said.
At the parade, a truck mounted laser was displayed and China also said it has one that can be mounted on a ship.
They're not just useful for defence.
"They could target aircraft," Ms Parker said.
"You point a directed energy laser weapon at an aircraft and they're not going to be having a good day."
Why has China shown off these weapons?
The key themes Ms Parker noticed from the weapons displayed was the focus on uncrewed drones and the ranges and variety of missiles.
"It demonstrates an advanced capability," she said.
"[It's about] showing a technologically advanced military and this second message of 'by the way, you don't necessarily know what we have.'"
UNSW China expert Guangyi Pan told the ABC the new weapons demonstrated the PLA's vision for future warfare.
"Undoubtedly, the greatest enhancement is in information warfare and electronic warfare, where the PLA will gain significant advantages," he told the ABC.
He said the speed at which the new weapons had been developed showed "China's leading position in both technological advancement (quality) and industrial manufacturing scale (quantity)".
Edward Chan, from the ANU's College of Asia & the Pacific, told the ABC the parade signalled a significant leap in China's military capability.
He said the broad spectrum of new military assets on display, including satellites, missile systems and drones, have been central to China's military modernisation over the past decade.
"[They] reflect greater preparedness for potential conflicts in the Western Pacific," Dr Chan said.
