Kim Jong Un to join Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at military parade.
Published On 2 Sep 2025
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has arrived in China by train in preparation for attending a military parade celebrating Japan’s World War II surrender, as reported by state media outlets.
Kim is one of 26 world leaders invited to Wednesday’s parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
This event in Beijing will be the first time Kim, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met at the same location.
Kim’s train crossed into China from North Korea early Tuesday morning, according to the state-controlled Rodong Sinmun newspaper.
“Leading officials from the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are accompanying Comrade Kim Jong Un on this visit to the People’s Republic of China,” stated Rodong Sinmun, referring to North Korea’s official name.
Kim’s visit to China follows the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where Xi and Putin took turns denouncing Western influence over the global order.
As one of the world’s most reclusive nations, North Korea has often turned to China and Russia for economic and diplomatic support.
Recently, Pyongyang has strengthened ties with Moscow, providing military aid for Putin’s conflict in Ukraine.
Kim, who seldom ventures abroad, has met with Xi five times since assuming power in 2011, most recently in 2019 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of China-North Korea relations.
Kim and Putin have met three times, with the latest encounter in June 2024 in Pyongyang, where they signed a mutual defense agreement.
Kim is one of 26 world leaders invited to Wednesday’s parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
This event in Beijing will be the first time Kim, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met at the same location.
Kim’s train crossed into China from North Korea early Tuesday morning, according to the state-controlled Rodong Sinmun newspaper.
“Leading officials from the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are accompanying Comrade Kim Jong Un on this visit to the People’s Republic of China,” stated Rodong Sinmun, referring to North Korea’s official name.
Kim’s visit to China follows the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, where Xi and Putin took turns denouncing Western influence over the global order.
As one of the world’s most reclusive nations, North Korea has often turned to China and Russia for economic and diplomatic support.
Recently, Pyongyang has strengthened ties with Moscow, providing military aid for Putin’s conflict in Ukraine.
Kim, who seldom ventures abroad, has met with Xi five times since assuming power in 2011, most recently in 2019 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of China-North Korea relations.
Kim and Putin have met three times, with the latest encounter in June 2024 in Pyongyang, where they signed a mutual defense agreement.
