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.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Châtelet-Les Halles areas from 11pm Saturday until 6am Sunday (1 November).
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment