Putin and Kim join Xi in show of strength as China unveils new weapons at huge military parade
3861 Min Read
China’s President Xi Jinping unveiled advanced laser weapons, nuclear ballistic missiles and giant underwater drones at a massive military parade commemorating 80 years since victory over Japan in WWII. The event drew global attention not just for the weapons display, but for the unprecedented public gathering of three key authoritarian leaders.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un joined Xi at the parade, with only two Western leaders attending among dozens of world heads of state. Their meeting lasted 2.5 hours, during which Kim reportedly told Putin it was North Korea’s “fraternal duty” to help Russia in Ukraine, where Putin said Kim’s troops fight against “neo-Nazism.”
Donald Trump, absent from the parade, criticized the gathering on social media: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.”
Defense analysts view the parade as serving dual purposes: a weapons sales pitch to potential buyers among attending nations, and a demonstration of unity against US influence. Countries like Myanmar already purchase significant quantities of Chinese weapons, and the event provided opportunities to expand arms sales globally.
The public alliance between China, Russia, and North Korea sends a strategic message to Washington that any challenge would require fighting simultaneously across multiple theaters – the Korean peninsula, Taiwan Straits, and Ukraine – potentially overwhelming US capabilities and causing failure in at least one domain.
