North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin joined Xi Jinping at a massive parade of military might in Beijing on Wednesday, September 3.
In unprecedented scenes, Xi shook hands with both leaders and chatted with the pair as they walked down a red carpet by Tiananmen Square, with Putin to Xi’s right and Kim to his left.
The extravaganza, ostensibly to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War, was a chance for Xi to showcase China’s military prowess and bring together friendly leaders to send a message to the rest of the world.
Kicking off the parade, President Xi warned the world was still “faced with a choice of peace or war,” but said China was “unstoppable.”
An enormous new Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile DF-5C—with a range of 20,000 kilometres—featured prominently among the tonnes of hardware on display.
The heavily choreographed event drew a barbed response from President Donald Trump who accused the three leaders of plotting against the United States, writing on Truth Social
Give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.
Besides the ICBMs, new underwater drones and supersonic missiles counted among the latest equipment on display.
The event was the climax of a whirlwind week for Xi, who hosted a slew of Eurasian leaders at a summit designed to put China front and centre of regional relations. The club of 10 countries, named the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, touts itself as a non-Western style of collaboration in the region and seeks to be an alternative to traditional alliances.
During the summit, Xi slammed “bullying behaviour” from certain countries—a veiled reference to the United States—while Putin defended Russia’s Ukraine offensive, blaming the West for triggering the conflict.
Many of the guests from the Tianjin gathering, including Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and several other leaders, joined Xi for the Beijing parade.
However, no major Western dignitaries were among the two dozen world leaders at the event.
