Huge intercontinental ballistic missiles, new underwater drones, laser weapons and other military hardware stores paraded on Piekin Tiananmen square for 90 minutes on Wednesday – an 80 -year commemoration from Japanese surrender which ended the Second World War and a showcase of modern Chinese military power.
But many eyes appeared on the world leaders that Chinese President Xi Jinping invited to the event, in particular the Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong one in North Korea. Images of the event showed the three, which appeared together in public for the first time, shaking hands, standing side by side and walking together on a red carpet. They spoke several times during the event.
It was a moment, said the head of the EU foreign policy, it was not only symbolic.
“Looking at President XI next to the leaders of Russia, Iran, North Korea in Beijing today, it is not only the anti-Western optics, it is a direct challenge for the international system built on the rules,” Kaja Kallas told journalists. “A new world order is in preparation.”
President Donald Trump, in a message on his social media platform intended for Xi on Tuesday evening, underlined the role of the American army in the Second World War and asked the Chinese chief “to give my best agreements to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, while you conspire against the United States of America”. The Kremlin said Putin did not plot against the United States and suggested that Trump was ironic in his remarks.
On Wednesday, XI warned that the world was faced with a choice of “peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or at a summit”. He called “unstoppable” China and declared that the Chinese people “firmly stood on the right side of history”.
During a meeting with Kim, Putin thanked North Korea for helping to repel Ukrainian soldiers in the Russian Kursk region, part of the war that followed the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022.
North Korea has sent arms containers and thousands of soldiers to support Russia. Last year, the two countries signed a military partnership agreement.
“We will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your soldiers,” said Putin.
Kim, during his second trip reported abroad in six years, made at least two additional movements of interest: he brought his daughter and his possible heir Kim Ju ae – the first international appearance of the adolescent. And he shakes the hand of Woo Won-Shik, the president of the National Assembly of South Korea. Woo called for the resumption of dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang; North Korea has so far rejected these openings.
Includes agency reports France-Presse and Reuters.