North Korea's Kim will meet with Xi and Putin at Chinese military parade

"North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade next week, the two countries said Thursday, in an event that would bring him together with a large group of world leaders for the first time since taking office in late 2011. With Russian President Vladimir Putin also coming for the parade, the event will underline the three-way alignment among Beijing, Moscow,"

"Kim will be among 26 foreign leaders who attend next Wednesday's parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China's resistance against Japan's wartime aggressions, China's foreign ministry said. "We warmly welcome General Secretary Kim Jong Un to China to attend the commemorative events," Hong Lei, China's assistant minister of foreign affairs, told a press conference. "Upholding, consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a firm position of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.""

"Since inheriting power upon his father's death in December 2011, Kim has met Xi, Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and others. But all those summits were bilateral meetings and Kim hasn't attended any big multilateral events with foreign leaders. "Given that other leaders attending are mostly from pro-Russia and pro-Chinese countries, Kim likely intends to form solidarity with those Global South countries while showing he's leader of a normal country," said Moon Seong Mook, an analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy."

Kim Jong Un will visit China for the first time in six years to attend a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also attend, and 26 foreign leaders are expected at the event. The visit highlights growing alignment among Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang amid U.S. efforts to strengthen alliances with South Korea and Japan. Chinese officials said Xi Jinping invited Kim and expressed commitment to consolidating traditional China–DPRK friendship. Kim's previous meetings with world leaders were bilateral, and he has not attended major multilateral gatherings. Analysts say Kim aims to show solidarity with pro-Russia and pro-China Global South countries and present North Korea as a normal state.

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