Ex-Labor Leader at Beijing Parade Unlikely to Impact US-ANZAC Ties: Analysts

‘I don’t think this visit will largely shape the international relationship within the Asia-Pacific area,’ said Yao-Yuan Yeh, a professor of political science.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, (front row L-R) CCP's leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, and former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in the top-right corner, pose for a photograph before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025. Sergey Bobylev/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The sight of senior Australian political figures at the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military events may fuel domestic criticism, but scholars argue it is more symbolic than substantive—unlikely to reshape Canberra’s commitments to the Five Eyes or Washington.

Former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and former Foreign Minister Bob Carr were both invited to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s military parade in Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, which marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II and showcased the communist regime’s military ambitions.

Former New Zealand Prime Ministers Helen Clark and John Key also attended the parade.

Andrews was filmed shaking hands with CCP leader Xi Jinping on the red carpet before the parade and taking a group photo with other authoritarian world leaders, such as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, and Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian, countries that some refer to as the “axis of evil.”