New Delhi, Sept. 6 -- Mao Zedong's quote, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" was reverberating on September 3, 2025, at Tiananmen Square. Hypersonic missiles rolled past jubilant crowds, drones whirred overhead, and thousands of goose-stepping soldiers marched with clockwork precision. Xi Jinping, dressed in a military tunic, proclaimed: "The Chinese nation is a great nation that is not afraid of violence." It was both optics and warning, aimed at domestic and international audiences.

For India, the military juggernaut's display merits deep examination and immediate attention.

THE OPTICS AND MESSAGINGChina's military parades are not mere rituals of pride; they are occasions of strategic communication. Mao's 1949 proclama...