Next week’s parade in Beijing is becoming a summit defined by who is not attending. As Western leaders boycott the event, the spotlight will fall squarely on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the most prominent guests of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The event on Wednesday commemorates the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end, but its diplomatic significance is entirely contemporary. The refusal of the U.S. and its major European allies to participate, due to their conflict with Putin over Ukraine, creates an unfiltered platform for an anti-Western narrative.
For Kim Jong Un, this is his first trip abroad in years, and the stakes are high. He is expected to use the visit to bolster his relationship with China, the country that serves as North Korea’s economic lifeline, accounting for an estimated 97% of its trade.
The image of Kim, Xi, and Putin together will be a powerful one, signaling a consolidation of forces. It comes as North Korea deepens its military support for Russia, making the Beijing parade the perfect venue to publicly declare their united front.
