Video shows China rocket launch, not battleship explosion

"Type 055 destroyer exploded during naval rehearsal for Chinese Communist Party's September 3 military parade," reads the traditional Chinese text superimposed on the clip shared August 25, 2025 on YouTube.

"Fire of the ammunition depot lit up the whole ocean. The war hasn't started and they blasted themselves already."

A second into the video -- published on a channel that regularly posts content expressing support for Taiwan -- beams of light radiate from the water, illuminating the dark ocean and revealing spectators gathered along the shore.

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Screenshot of the false YouTube video captured on September 3, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The video started circulating in the days leading up to September 3, when China marked Victory Day by showcasing underwater drones, massive missiles and laser weapons during a massive military parade in Beijing (archived link).

Millions of Chinese people were killed during a prolonged war with imperial Japan in the 1930s and 40s, which became part of a global conflict following Tokyo's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

The ruling Communist Party has held a series of blockbuster events in recent years to commemorate its wartime resistance.

The 11-second video also surfaced on TikTok and was shared by a Taiwan-based Facebook user.

But there have been no official reports about a warship exploding during a parade rehearsal as of September 5, while Taiwanese media organisation My GoPen previously debunked the claim (archived link).

Moreover, the clip shows China's rocket launch, not a battleship blast as the posts claim.

A reverse image search on Baidu led to a 54-second Douyin video uploaded on August 9 with footage matching the false YouTube video (archived link).

The caption of the Douyin video reads in simplified Chinese: "After enduring the long night by the seaside in Rizhao, I finally witnessed the blaze of light tearing through the night sky!"

"The deafening roar was the cry of dreams rushing into the universe. Watching the rocket soar, I realised that humanity’s true journey is indeed toward the stars and the sea."

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Screenshot comparison of the false YouTube video (L) and the Douyin video

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, a rocket lifted off from the city of Rizhao in China's eastern Shandong Province at 12:31 am local time (1631 GMT) on August 9 to send 11 satellites into their planned orbit (archived link). 

A subsequent keyword search led to another August 9 Douyin video that shows the same scene from a slightly different angle (archived link). The caption also says the clip depicts the rocket launch from Rizhao.

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Screenshot comparison of the Douyin video that matches the falsely shared clip (L) and corresponding visuals with the same spectator highlighted by AFP

AFP debunked other misinformation about the Chinese military parade here, here and here.