North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a military parade in Beijing next week, marking their first public appearance alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping in a display of collective defiance amid Western pressure.
According to China’s foreign ministry, no Western leaders are expected among the 26 foreign heads of state and government attending the parade, except for Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, representing a European Union member state.
The event, held on 3 September to mark the formal surrender of Japan in World War II, will highlight China’s growing military capabilities. Analysts say the presence of Xi, Putin, and Kim signals a show of solidarity not only between China and the Global South but also with Russia and North Korea, both heavily targeted by international sanctions.
Russia, Beijing’s strategic partner, has faced multiple rounds of Western sanctions since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, leaving its economy close to recession. Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court, last travelled to China in 2024.
North Korea, a formal treaty ally of China, has been under United Nations Security Council sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Kim’s last visit to China was in January 2019.
Other attendees at the parade will include Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iranian President Masoud Pezashkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic will also be present.
The United Nations will be represented by Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua, a former Chinese ambassador to Italy, San Marino, and Myanmar.
On the day of the parade, President Xi Jinping will review tens of thousands of troops at Tiananmen Square alongside the foreign dignitaries and senior Chinese officials. The event, one of China’s largest military parades in recent years, will feature advanced hardware, including fighter jets, missile defence systems, and hypersonic weapons.
According to analysts at the Council on Foreign Relations, Kim's presence alongside Xi and Putin projects a united front against Western pressure, particularly from the U.S., South Korea, and Japan.
The event also highlights closer military and economic ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.
North Korea has reportedly supplied arms and personnel to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, while Russia and China continue to strengthen their strategic partnership, according to the International Crisis Group.
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Ti...
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monda...
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” followin...
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following ear...
China says it's making a "full assessment" of the U.S. Supreme Court's tariff ruling and urged Washington to lift "relevant unilateral tariff measures...
Iran has signed a secret €500 million arms deal with Russia to rebuild air defences, weakened during last year’s war with Israel, the Financial Times has reported. The agreement, signed in December in Moscow, will see Russia deliver 500 Verba launch units and 2,500 9M336 missiles over three years.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has drawn international attention after forming an unusual bond with a stuffed orangutan toy after being rejected by its mother.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Pakistan said it carried out cross-border strikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan after blaming a series of recent suicide bombings, including attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from Afghan territory.
Iran announced on Saturday (21 February) that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the bloc is unlikely to reach agreement on a new package of sanctions against Russia at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers, as continued Hungarian opposition keeps consensus out of reach.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
China says it's making a "full assessment" of the U.S. Supreme Court's tariff ruling and urged Washington to lift "relevant unilateral tariff measures" on its trading partners, the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement on Monday (23 February).
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 23rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A “Victory will be ours” banner was hung on the Russian Embassy in Seoul, ahead of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It remains on display despite a request from the South Korean Foreign Ministry on Sunday (22 February) for its removal, sparking widespread criticism.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment