Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will join Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a military parade in Beijing next week, marking a rare joint appearance for the three in a show of unity amid growing Western pressure.
The parade, on 3 September, commemorates Japan’s formal surrender in 1945 and the end of the Second World War. China was forced to fight a long, bloody war against Japanese occupation from 1931 to 1945, making it a key front of the campaign against Axis powers.
The “Victory Day” parade in Tiananmen Square is expected to be one of China’s largest in years, featuring fighter jets, hypersonic missiles and other advanced weaponry. President Xi will review tens of thousands of troops alongside foreign dignitaries and senior Communist Party officials.
According to China’s foreign ministry, 26 foreign heads of state and government are set to attend. They include Masoud Pezashkian of Iran, Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia, Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia.
No leader from the US or another major Western country will take part, however, with Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico the only major representative from the EU.
The UN will be represented by undersecretary general for economic and social affairs Li Junhua, who was previously China’s ambassador to Italy, San Marino and Myanmar.
Mr Putin last visited Beijing in 2024. His country has been targeted with a series of Western sanctions since it invaded Ukraine in 2022 and is looking to shore up relations with China, a key strategic partner.
North Korea, which has mutual defence pacts with both China and Russia, has similarly been subject to United Nations sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
Mr Kim last visited China in 2019. This trip will see his first multilateral appearance with world leaders since taking power in 2011.
North Korea’s state news agency confirmed that Mr Kim would travel at Mr Xi’s invitation, though it gave no details of whether he would hold bilateral talks with either Mr Xi or Mr Putin.
Despite a strain in ties in recent years, China remains North Korea’s main trading partner, accounting for about 97 per cent of its external trade in 2023.
Pyongyang is also deepening cooperation with Moscow, supplying troops and ammunition for the war in Ukraine.
