Kim Jong-un of North Korea visits China prior to a grand military display
Kim Jong Un Attends SCO Summit and China's Military Parade
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made a significant return to the global diplomacy scene, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and China's military parade in Beijing. This marks Kim Jong Un's first visit to China since 2019.
According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, Kim Jong Un's special train has entered China. The North Korean leader will be accompanied by leaders from Russia, India, and other SCO member states at the military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025. The leaders of North Korea, Russia, and Iran will also attend the event, often referred to as the "axis of autocracies" by Western commentators.
China is hosting the military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Japan and the end of World War II. Reports suggest that significant new systems, including a gigantic laser weapon, will be displayed at the parade. Many of the leaders from the SCO summit, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, will join Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un for the parade.
The seating arrangements and interactions between Xi, Putin, and Kim will be closely watched. Kim Jong Un's appearance in China "formalises the China-Russia-North Korea trilateral (relationship) to the public", Soo Kim, a geopolitical risk consultant and former CIA analyst, told AFP.
Historian Rana Mitter stated that China is likely to signal its closeness to its global south partners and non-Western countries, but is not expected to directly support Russia's war in Ukraine. The attendance of these leaders underscores China's role as the world's leading authoritarian power, according to the Asia Society's Neil Thomas.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) touts itself as a non-Western style of collaboration in the region and seeks to be an alternative to traditional alliances. Kim Jong Un stayed in North Korea throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, keeping a low profile in global diplomacy.
Not all Western leaders will attend the event. However, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico and Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic will be present. Both Fico and Vucic are close to Putin and broke ranks with the European Union to visit Russia for its Victory Day parade in May.
Kim Jong Un has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia's far east in 2023. Various art installations and flags have been set up in Beijing for the military parade. This visit to China marks a significant step in Kim Jong Un's return to the global diplomacy scene, following the collapse of a summit with Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019.
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