North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have appeared alongside Xi Jinping at a large military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, capping a week of diplomatic grandstanding by the Chinese president and his allies seen as a rebuke to the west.
In unprecedented scenes, Xi shook the hands of both leaders and chatted with the pair as they walked down a red carpet towards Tiananmen Square and the parade to mark 80 years since the end of the second world war.
Among the other guests are Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing. No major western leaders are attending.
At a speech kicking off the event, Xi said China was “unstoppable” while calling for the eradication of the roots of war to prevent history from repeating itself.
“Humanity is again faced with a choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, and win-win outcomes or zero-sum games,” Xi said.
China has touted the parade as a show of unity with other countries, and Kim’s attendance is the first time he has been seen with Xi and Putin at the same event. It is only Kim’s second reported trip abroad in six years.
US president Donald Trump posted to social media as the parade began.
“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” he said on Truth Social.
Wednesday is the climax of a whirlwind week for Xi, who on Sunday and Monday hosted a group of world leaders at a summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.
The club of countries, named the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), touts itself as a non-western style of collaboration in the region and seeks to be an alternative to traditional alliances.
During the summit, Xi slammed “bullying behaviour” from certain countries – a veiled reference to the United States – while Putin defended Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Many of the guests from the Tianjin gathering, including Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and several other leaders, have joined Xi for the parade in Beijing.
Kim has been accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju-ae, images released by North Korean state news showed.
Officials have been tight-lipped over the list of military hardware to be displayed at the parade, but some enthusiasts have already spotted significant new systems.
Defence experts have been analysing social media photos and footage from recent rehearsals, which have shown anti-ship missiles, cutting-edge underwater drones and anti-missile systems.
With Agence France-Presse
