China will host the leaders of Russia, Iran and North Korea at a World War II event next month in what will mark the first-ever gathering of the authoritarian CRINK bloc sometimes known as the “Axis of Upheaval.”
Why It Matters
The September 3 gathering will see Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appear on the same stage together for the first time.
The rare convergence, happening as part of a military parade in Beijing at which a total 26 foreign leaders will be present, has renewed scrutiny of China’s deepening ties with the CRINK powers, who share an opposition to the U.S.-led global order.
Their joint presence highlights Beijing’s ability to convene leaders who rarely gather in one setting and makes the event a milestone in China‘s diplomatic outreach.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese, North Korean, and Russian foreign ministries via emailed request for comment.
What To Know
Countries represented at the same event a decade ago included South Korea, Pakistan, Venezuela, Myanmar and Sudan. This year, returning participants will include Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Mongolia and Pakistan, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, while first-time attendees include Russia, Iran, North Korea, Kazakhstan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Only six of the 26 leaders expected this year govern democracies, down from seven of 24 in 2015, highlighting the increasingly authoritarian tilt of the lineup, according to analysis by Neil Thomas of the Asia Society think tank. He described the guest list as evidence of Beijing’s progress in “neighborhood diplomacy.”
China has also said it will use the parade to showcase new weaponry. In the lead-up, state media teased a “new-generation” of missiles and hypersonic systems, as well as submarine drones.
Fred Lee/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Neil Thomas, fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society, wrote on X: “For the first time, the leaders of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea will be in the same place—at Beijing’s September 3 military parade to commemorate WWII. Could we see the inaugural summit of the so-called ‘axis of autocracies?'”
Hu Xijin, former editor of the state-owned nationalist Chinese newspaper the Global Times, said in a post on Weibo: “China’s diplomacy is truly impressive. It has maximized the scope of China’s friendly and cooperative relationships, to the point that we have no enemies in the traditional sense anywhere in the world.
“Some countries may compete with China in certain areas, but their relationships with China still contain significant complexity and room for maneuver. Business continues between us, and they are not likely to recklessly turn China—with its powerful nuclear arsenal, advanced naval and air forces, and missile capabilities—into their enemy.”
What’s Next
China may use the event not only to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, but also to signal its growing alignment with Russia, Iran and North Korea.
