North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will join Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at a major military parade in Beijing next week, writes Sky News, citing North Korean and Chinese state media. The North Korean dictator, who rarely travels outside the country, will be sent to China to participate in the parade.
Putin's presence has already been confirmed. He and Kim will be among the 26 foreign leaders at the event, with no one from the USA or Western Europe.
China, Russia, and North Korea are close allies. Beijing has long been Pyongyang's largest partner in aid and trade, while Kim supplies troops to the Kremlin for the war in Ukraine.
Hong Lei, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, stated that the country will "warmly welcome" Kim, noting that "maintaining, strengthening, and developing" relations between the governments of the two countries is a priority task.
Lei also mentioned that Putin's participation in the commemorative events "once again demonstrates the high level of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership for coordination in the new era and declares the unity and solidarity of China and Russia".
"In the face of an international landscape fraught with changes and upheavals, China and Russia as founding members of the UN and permanent members of the Security Council will continue to uphold the authority of the United Nations and international fairness and justice," Lei said.
Photo: Reuters