New Alliances Against American Dominance

President Xi Jinping extended a warm welcome to more than 25 world leaders to commemorate China’s Victory Day parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Prominent attendees at the military parade included Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While India did not attend the parade, President Narendra Modi did attend the earlier Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meetings.

These gatherings drew global attention to China.

A display of China’s military might

China used this opportunity to show off its military might and advancements. China has the immense resources and wealth required to build and sustain a military that rivals the U.S. As the second most populous nation—recently surpassed by India—it has the largest number of active military personnel (2 million) and seemingly the determination to deploy them.

As President Xi drove across the tarmac where his troops were assembled, they shouted, “Justice will prevail. Peace will prevail. The people will prevail.” This was repeated often and even displayed overhead by banners hanging from helicopters.

Two aspects of the military parade were particularly striking. First, the impeccable discipline and perfect unison of thousands of troops marching in lockstep, with expressionless faces, demonstrated unwavering loyalty to their leader.

Now, China stands with other Eastern nations—an alliance some have dubbed the axis of upheaval—in defiance of the United States. The second striking aspect was the rapid advancement of China’s military. For the first time, China displayed its new triad nuclear-capable missile, named for its ability to be launched from air, land or sea—a capability also possessed by only Russia, India and the United States.

Alongside China’s nuclear arsenal, the parade featured hypersonic and antiship missiles, fighter jets, helicopters, and sea and land vehicles, including tanks, drones and energy weapons.

It was all designed to send a message to the United States.

A meeting of defiance

At the parade, President Xi Jinping declared, “Today, humanity again has to choose between peace and war, dialogue and confrontation.” He asserted that China stood “on the right side of history and the progress of human civilization.”

He portrayed China as a guardian of peace, committed to treating all nations as equals.

During the SCO meetings, President Xi echoed China’s mission to foster “mutual trust” and “mutual benefit,” while opposing “hegemonism and power politics” and the “Cold War mentality, bloc confrontation and bullying practices.”

However, China’s aggression toward Taiwan serves as a counterpoint to these claims.

The messaging was clearly aimed at the United States, which China and its allies view as a declining power they are actively working to challenge, particularly in military power, trade and U.S. dollar dominance. President Xi portrayed China as the victor that saved the world from Japanese tyranny during World War II, yet, of course, it was the United States that defeated Japan, facilitating the liberation of China and other nations.

Now, China stands with other Eastern nations—an alliance some have dubbed the axis of upheaval—in defiance of the United States.

U.S. reaction

The SCO bloc comprises 10 member states—China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus—as well as 14 dialogue partner nations. In total, they represent 24 percent of the earth’s landmass, 42 percent of the world’s population and about 23 percent of global GDP. It is a formidable bloc established to counter U.S. dominance.

President Donald Trump has attempted to reassert U.S. power and drive a wedge between the three main nations—China, Russia and India.

First, he imposed tariffs as high as 145 percent on China in the first half of 2025, with the aim of bringing China to the negotiating table for a trade deal.

Then he threatened to sanction Russia while enticing it with a rare earth minerals deal to end the Ukraine war.

He then attempted to separate Russia and India, imposing 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods to discourage India from purchasing Russian oil, and thus funding its war against Ukraine.

However, this strategy backfired. It has fostered closer cooperation among China, Russia and India, as they attempt to circumvent U.S. sanctions and mitigate the impact of tariffs by redirecting trade away from the United States.

This shift was vividly illustrated by the jovial interaction of Indian Prime Minister Modi, laughing alongside President Putin and President Xi, marking India’s first high-level visit to China in seven years.

Another photo from these events sparked the ire of President Trump, who wrote, “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.” President Trump then asked the EU to impose 100 percent tariffs on India and China.

As the post-WWII world order dominated by the United States seems to be racing toward a bumpy end, Bible prophecy offers insight into the new world that is emerging.

Emergence of Asian and European power blocs

Following World War II, the world entered a bipolar era. The United States and the Soviet Union competed ideologically and militarily throughout the Cold War.

The Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 ushered in a unipolar world, with the United States serving as the sole superpower and wielding unparalleled economic, military and cultural influence.

In the past couple of decades, a multipolar world has been emerging, featuring rising powers such as China, India, Russia and the European Union. These power blocs are challenging U.S. dominance on the global stage, and this has only escalated with the current tariff war.

Why is this occurring?

Because of our sins. Breaking God’s laws has consequences, and this is especially true for nations that God has given both wealth and access to the wisdom of the Bible.

Because of their sins, God warned He would hide His face from those He has blessed and “many evils and troubles” would come upon them until they would acknowledge, “Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?” (Deuteronomy 31:17).

God is withdrawing His blessing from our nations, especially the English-speaking nations that have received great blessings because of God’s unfailing promises to Abraham.

The Bible shows that Abraham’s blessings were passed down to Isaac and then to his son Israel, who placed his name on Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim (Genesis 48:13-20). Israel promised that Ephraim, the younger son of Joseph, would become a “multitude of nations” and Manasseh would be a “great” people.

A careful study of prophecy and history shows these blessings were fulfilled in the modern nations of the United Kingdom and many of the Commonwealth nations (Ephraim) and the United States of America (Manasseh). (This surprising prophetic key is detailed in our free book The United States, Britain and the Commonwealth in Prophecy.)

But as these nations’ sins increase, we are seeing the blessings being removed.

Daniel prophesied of three power blocs arising at “the time of the end” (Daniel 11:40-44):

The king of the South: A coalition, primarily composed of Islamic nations south of Israel, will form. This group will launch an attack on Europe, referred to as the “king of the North,” prompting a powerful counterattack (verse 40). The historical conflicts between Catholic Europe and Islamic forces will resurface in the end times.

The king of the North: A power bloc will emerge north of Israel in Europe, representing the final revival of the Roman Empire, also known as “the beast.” It will consist of 10 nations or groups of nations and will oppose Christ at His return (Revelation 17:12-14).

We are currently witnessing Europe rearming and preparing for war in response to Russian aggression and pressure from the United States to assume greater responsibility for its own defense. Though Europe remains leaderless at present, a charismatic figure will eventually unite with the false prophet to lead this coalition (Revelation 13:11-18; 19:20).

Armies from the north and east: Following the conflict between the king of the North and the king of the South (Daniel 11:40), troubling news from the “east and the north” will challenge the king of the North, leading to widespread destruction (verse 44). This bloc will likely be led by Russia (north of Israel) and China (east of Israel).

The battles will include a formidable 200-million-man army from east of the Euphrates River (Revelation 9:14-16). The army’s scale suggests significant contributions from the world’s most populous nations, China and India.

In the end, the “kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12) will join with all the armies of the earth (Revelation 19:19) to battle the returning Jesus Christ. He will easily defeat them all, bringing the long-awaited Kingdom of God to the earth.

These events show the world is in a dire state, which can spark fear and anxiety when we see these events happen. Yet the Bible urges followers of Christ not to be afraid (Luke 21:9), assuring us that God will protect His faithful followers during these challenging times.

You need to learn more about what is coming and what you should do. Download our free booklet How to Understand Prophecy today.