China will hold the parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Putin and Kim Jong-un.
Attendees will include 26 foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Chinese official Xinhua News Agency said. It cited Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei as saying Kim will attend what it called “China’s V-Day commemorations” on 3 September.
North Korea’s state news agency confirmed Kim will visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. It gave no further details, including when Kim will depart from North Korea and how long he will stay in China.
No leaders from the United States or major Western European countries are expected, in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine.
If Kim’s trip is realized, it would be his first trip to China since 2019.
In an attempt to break out of diplomatic isolation, Kim has recently aimed to expand relations with countries confronting Washington. He dismissed US and South Korean efforts to restart diplomacy aimed at defusing the North’s nuclear programme, which derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit with Trump during his first term.
China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been questions about their relations in recent years.
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North Korea has been focused on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. But many observers say North Korea is expected to take steps to improve ties with China.
In 2023, about 97% of North Korea’s external trade was with China, while 1.2% was with Russia.
North Korea has also become more vocal in international affairs beyond the Korean Peninsula, issuing statements on conflicts in the Middle East and issues related to the Taiwan Strait.
Russia, which Beijing counts as a strategic partner, has been battered by multiple rounds of Western sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with its economy on the brink of slipping into recession. Mr. Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court, last travelled in China in 2024.
North Korea, a formal treaty ally of China’s, has been under UN Security Council sanctions since 2006 over its development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Mr. Kim last visited China in January 2019.
Also attending will be Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iran’s President Masoud Pezashkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
Asked whether Mr. Woo would meet Mr. Kim or any other North Korean officials in China, Mr. Woo’s spokesperson said on Aug 28 there was no planned schedule so far.
South Korean presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik told reporters on Aug 28 that South Korea had been aware that Mr. Kim was to attend.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said it was the first time Mr. Kim was attending such a multilateral event, which could help in bringing him to the negotiating table.
Crediblenewsng.com
