Xi Jinping, Putin and Kim Jong-un made their first public appearance together during a military parade in China
A military parade took place in Beijing, the central event of which was the joint appearance of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. For the first time, these three appeared in public together. This is reported by CNN.
Before the festivities began, they shook hands with Chinese veterans of the Second World War, after which they settled in the center of the festivities in Tiananmen Square.
In previous years, relations between Beijing and Pyongyang cooled due to the rapprochement of the DPRK with Moscow. In 2024, Putin visited Pyongyang, where he signed an agreement on mutual defense and the supply of weapons for the war in Ukraine.
The joint appearance of Xi, Putin and Kim symbolizes a new configuration of forces, within which China, Russia and North Korea demonstrate their desire to jointly resist the influence of the West. Kim, who for a long time remained on the periphery of international politics, now found himself in the center of the world’s attention next to two main allies.
Several Asian leaders took part in the parade, including Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Mongolia Ukhnaagii Khurelsukh and others. The President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, also arrived unexpectedly, walking the red carpet in a gray suit and sunglasses. Although he had previously stated that he would not be able to attend due to mass deadly protests in Indonesia, he later apparently changed his mind.
Central Asian states — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — also sent their representatives. Belarusian leader Oleksandr Lukashenko also arrived in China for the ceremony. Among European politicians, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, were present.
Among the participants were also leaders from other regions of the world — from Africa to the Caribbean, including Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzou.
