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Enormous intercontinental ballistic missiles, new underwater drones, laser weapons and other military hardware paraded across Beijing’s Tiananmen Square for 90 minutes on Wednesday — a commemoration of 80 years since the Japanese surrender that ended World War II and a showcase of modern Chinese military might.
But many eyes were on the world leaders Chinese President Xi Jinping invited to the event, especially Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Images from the event showed the three, who appeared together in public for the first time, shaking hands, standing side-by-side and walking together down a red carpet. They spoke repeatedly during the event.
It was a moment, the E.U.’s foreign policy chief said, that wasn’t just symbolic.
“Looking at President Xi standing alongside the leaders of Russia, Iran, North Korea in Beijing today, these aren’t just anti-Western optics, this is a direct challenge to the international system built on rules,” Kaja Kallas told reporters. “A new global order is in the making.”
U.S. President Donald Trump, in a message on his social media platform aimed at Xi late Tuesday, highlighted the U.S. military’s role in World War II and asked the Chinese leader to “give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.” The Kremlin said that Putin was not conspiring against the U.S. and suggested Trump was being ironic in his remarks.
On Wednesday, Xi warned that the world was facing a choice “of peace or war, dialog or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum.” He called China “unstoppable,” and said that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history.”
In a meeting with Kim, Putin thanked North Korea for helping to push back Ukrainian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region, part of the war that has followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
North Korea has shipped containers of weapons and thousands of soldiers to support Russia. The two countries inked a military partnership agreement last year.
“We will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your servicemen,” Putin said.
Kim, in his second reported trip abroad in six years, made at least two additional moves of interest: he brought along his daughter and possible heir Kim Ju Ae — the first international appearance by the teenager. And he shook hands with Woo Won-shik, the speaker of South Korea’s National Assembly. Woo has called for the resumption of dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang; North Korea has so far rebuffed those overtures.
Includes reporting from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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