North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is confirmed to attend China’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War II next week, a high-profile event that is being boycotted by Western powers. The military parade in Beijing on Wednesday will also feature Russian President Vladimir Putin as a key guest.
The decision by the United States and major Western European countries to skip the event is a direct protest against Putin’s presence, creating a stark visual of the world’s geopolitical divisions. The parade will thus serve as a platform for non-Western solidarity.
For Kim Jong Un, this marks his first foreign trip in several years, and it is a critical one. The visit is aimed at reinforcing North Korea’s relationship with China, its most crucial economic and political partner, which accounts for nearly all its trade.
The sight of Kim alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Putin will be a potent display of their growing alignment. With North Korea recently supplying Moscow with military aid, the event will showcase the consolidation of a strategic bloc opposed to the West.