Kim Jong Un Arrives in Beijing to Join Putin and Xi at Military Parade Marking WWII Anniversary

Beijing, Sept 2025 : North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is en route to Beijing by special train to attend a military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media reported on Tuesday. The parade, scheduled for Wednesday, commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China’s resistance against Japanese wartime aggression.

Kim and Putin are among 26 world leaders invited by China to witness what is expected to be a large-scale display of military strength in the capital. The event carries strong symbolic weight, as it marks the first time in Kim’s 14-year rule that he will appear at a major multilateral gathering. It is also the first occasion on which Kim, Xi, and Putin—leaders often cast as counterweights to U.S. influence—will be present together at a single event.

Although neither Pyongyang, Moscow, nor Beijing has confirmed plans for a trilateral summit, the possibility of a meeting between the three leaders has fueled speculation among observers. North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) confirmed that Kim departed Pyongyang on Monday, accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Choi Son Hui. KCNA quoted Foreign Ministry representative Kim Chon Il as saying that the visit underlines “the strategic importance of strengthening solidarity with China and Russia.”

South Korean outlets reported that Kim’s train crossed into China on Monday night, arriving in the border city of Dandong, with his arrival in Beijing expected later Tuesday. This marks Kim’s first trip to China since 2019 and his fifth since assuming power after his father Kim Jong Il’s death in 2011.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in China earlier on Sunday to attend both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and the upcoming parade. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russia’s TASS news agency that a bilateral meeting between Putin and Kim is “under consideration,” though no official confirmation has been given.

Diplomatic analysts are closely monitoring whether Kim might also meet Xi Jinping separately, or even take part in a rare trilateral discussion involving Xi and Putin. While the three leaders have held bilateral meetings in the past, they have never convened as a group.

In recent years, North Korea has leaned heavily on its partnership with Russia, supplying munitions and manpower in support of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine in exchange for military and economic assistance. The alignment has allowed Pyongyang to project greater influence beyond the Korean Peninsula, with the regime issuing statements on conflicts in the Middle East and tensions in the Taiwan Strait, often framing itself as part of a united front against Washington.

Relations with China, meanwhile, have been less consistent. Once considered North Korea’s most important ally, Beijing has at times distanced itself amid concerns about Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions. Analysts believe Kim is eager to repair and strengthen ties with China, given its role as North Korea’s largest trading partner and aid provider, and to prepare for a shifting geopolitical landscape once the Russia-Ukraine war evolves.

Experts say Kim’s presence at the Beijing parade demonstrates an effort to reintegrate into broader regional diplomacy, reaffirm North Korea’s relevance on the global stage, and reinforce partnerships with China and Russia at a time of sharpening divisions with the United States.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)