Beijing (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un will join Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Victory Day parade, signalling defiance to the West.
As reported by The Guardian, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un will join Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week for a military parade, sending a clear message of resistance to Western pressure.
Why are Putin and Kim Jong-un attending Beijing’s parade?
According to China’s foreign ministry, of the 26 foreign leaders attending, only EU member Robert Fico of Slovakia represents the West.
China’s Victory Day parade will be held on 3 September. The three leaders will showcase their unity amid Beijing’s growing military strength.
Russia is an important partner for China. But after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Western countries imposed many sanctions on it. These sanctions have pushed Russia’s economy to the brink of recession.
Mr Putin is under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. He travelled to China most recently in 2024.
North Korea, a former ally of China, has been under United Nations sanctions since 2006 for its nuclear and missile programs. Mr Kim last visited China in 2019.
World leaders to Beijing’s Victory Day parade
The following leaders are joining the military parade in China.
- Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Belarus
- Masoud Pezashkian, President of Iran
- Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia
- Woo Won-shik, Speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly
- Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia
The UN’s delegation will be led by Under Secretary General Li Junhua. He earlier served as China’s ambassador to Italy, San Marino and Myanmar.
Hong Lei’s views on Kim’s visit and China–Russia ties
China’s assistant foreign minister Hong Lei said Beijing would “warmly welcome” Kim Jong Un. He stressed that advancing and consolidating ties between the two governments remained a central policy priority.
When asked what message Beijing was sending by hosting Mr Putin, Mr Lei said the Russian president’s presence at the military parade
“further demonstrates the high level of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era and declares the unity and solidarity between China and Russia.”
He added,
“Facing an international landscape fraught with both change and turmoil, China and Russia, as founding members of the UN and permanent members of the Security Council, will continue to uphold the authority of the United Nations and international fairness and justice.”
China to show its military power at Tiananmen
At Tiananmen Square, Xi Jinping will review tens of thousands of troops, joined by foreign dignitaries and senior Chinese leaders.
China’s upcoming parade, one of its largest in years, will showcase advanced military hardware. This includes fighter jets, missile defence and hypersonic weapons.
The prolonged war with Japan in the 1930s and 40s claimed millions of Chinese lives. It later merged into World War II after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.
In recent years, the Communist Party has organised major ceremonies of its wartime resistance. It has vowed that China will never again be humiliated.
Key details about the Ukraine-Russia war
The conflict started on February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. Fighting had already started in 2014 after Russia took Crimea. Moscow also backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, around 250,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives. Ukraine has also suffered heavy losses, with 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers killed. In total, more than a million Russian troops have been killed or wounded.
The UN has recorded 13,883 civilian deaths since 2022. The real number is likely higher. Thousands had already died before this period. Russia now controls around 20% of Ukraine’s land. In 2024, Ukraine also attacked Russia’s Kursk region.