An informal East Asian summit is set to take place in Beijing next week as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joins Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for a military parade. The event on Wednesday will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The parade is notable for its list of absentees. Leaders from the United States and major Western European nations are boycotting the event due to their ongoing political conflict with Putin over the war in Ukraine.
This visit marks Kim Jong Un’s first trip abroad since 2019, a clear signal of its importance. The primary goal is expected to be the strengthening of ties with China, which is essential for North Korea’s economic stability and survival.
The meeting of the three leaders carries immense symbolic weight. It comes as North Korea has become a key military supplier to Russia, and their joint appearance will be interpreted as a public display of a growing strategic partnership aimed at countering the West.