BEIJING—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to join Russia’s Vladimir Putin at China’s grand military parade in Beijing next week, in a show of unity and defiance of the West.
FILE PHOTO: Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China attend a training ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, August 20, 2025 (REUTERS)
The parade on Wednesday will be hosted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and is set to be the trio’s first event together, providing powerful optics as Beijing asserts itself as a leader of countries seeking to upend the U.S.-led international order.
Yet the potential for the three countries to build on the moment faces limits, as each pursues its own agenda with the U.S. A summit between President Trump and Xi before the end of the year is possible, as China seeks a reduction of U.S. tariffs.
Trump is also holding out the possibility of better ties with both Russia and North Korea. He met Putin recently in Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine and earlier this week said he would like to meet Kim again, after meeting the North Korean leader three times during his first term.
Beijing revealed Kim’s inclusion on Thursday when it unveiled the guest list for the parade. Trump won’t be attending, nor will most European leaders. Instead, Xi is set to be joined by the leaders of countries including Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. South Korea will be represented by the speaker of the country’s National Assembly.
The parade will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II and is an opportunity for China to show off its growing military might, as thousands of troops march past Tiananmen Square alongside some of China’s latest weapons.
For Kim, the event marks a shift as it would be his first time joining a multilateral gathering of leaders and his first visit to China since 2019. While Xi attended Putin’s Victory Day gathering in Moscow in May, North Korea sent a handful of military officers.
Much of North Korea’s recent diplomatic focus has been on forging closer ties to Moscow, including sending troops to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Improving relations with Beijing carries the prospect of additional economic support for North Korea beyond what Moscow has been able to offer.
The deployment of North Korean troops to fight alongside Russian soldiers had strained Pyongyang’s ties with Beijing. While China is a close partner of Russia and has provided it with economic support to blunt the effects of U.S. sanctions, China also opposes any moves that could expand the war.
In one sign of the frayed ties, China and North Korea skipped major celebrations of their 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties last year, after marking their 70th anniversary together in 2019.
But exchanges between China and North Korea picked up this year, and trade between the countries has surged. In July, China’s ambassador to North Korea attended festivities marking the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, after missing the event last year.
On the issue of nuclear weapons, China and North Korea remain divided, with North Korea insisting it won’t give up its pursuit of a nuclear arsenal. In May 2024, North Korea blasted China, Japan and South Korea for a joint declaration, after a three-way summit in Seoul, in which they agreed to pursue denuclearization.
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