North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to China on an armored train to take part in a military parade in Beijing marking the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. This is reports The Guardian.
Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on September 1 and crossed the border with China on the morning of September 2. It is expected that he will arrive in Beijing today.
The train only reaches a speed of about 60 kilometers per hour, so the trip to Beijing takes about 20 hours. This slow but specialized vehicle has been used by North Korean leaders for decades due to its safety and ability to transport a large entourage, security and necessary resources. The train is equipped with meeting rooms, sleeping quarters and an office with wooden panels and leather seats.
To participate in his second summit with Donald Trump in Hanoi in 2019, Kim traveled 4,500 kilometers through China, a journey that lasted two and a half days. Kim will be one of 26 world leaders who, along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, will watch a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday. Vladimir Putin will also be present at the event. This is the first time that Kim, Xi and Putin – all key rivals of the US – will gather at the same event.
“In recent years, Pyongyang’s foreign policy priority has been Russia, which has supplied troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military aid. Instead, North Korea’s relationship with China has reportedly soured in the recent past. However, experts say Kim is likely hoping to restore ties, as China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and aid donor,” the report said.
As a reminder, a large military parade will be held in Beijing on September 3 in honor of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance of the Chinese People against Japanese aggression and the end of the World Anti-Fascist War.
Due to the planned presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the parade and the likely participation of the Russian military in the ceremony, European diplomats in China are discussing the possibility of refusing to participate in the events in Beijing.
