A tale of three leaders will unfold in Beijing next week as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set for a rendezvous with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trio will gather for a military parade on Wednesday commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The event is notable for its starkly divided guest list. While 26 foreign leaders will be present, the absence of heads of state from the U.S. and major Western European powers is a deliberate protest against Putin’s involvement in the Ukraine war.
This trip is Kim Jong Un’s first abroad in several years, a visit laden with significance for the North Korea-China alliance. Given that Pyongyang’s economy is almost entirely dependent on Beijing, the visit is widely seen as a strategic imperative for Kim.
The meeting of these three leaders is a powerful geopolitical statement. It showcases the deepening alignment between their nations, especially as North Korea provides military aid to Russia, and signals a united challenge to Western dominance.