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Xi, Kim, Putin appear together
The leaders of China, Russia and North Korea have been photographed walking to the parade together. It is a striking image, that has been beamed onto large screens in Beijing.
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Trump sends 'warmest regards' to Xi, Putin and Kim 'as you conspire against' the US
US president Donald Trump is clearly aware that the parade is taking place. He has posted to Truth Social about it:
“The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and “blood” that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader. Many Americans died in China’s quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice! May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP”
Marching has begun by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Xi is riding in an open-topped car, surveying the troops.
Snap analysis on the Xi, Putin, Kim photo
Justin McCurry
It is an image that, had it been published just a few years ago, would have been dismissed as a piece of mischievous photo-shopping: the leaders of Russia and China, accompanied by the head of a pariah regime whose mission to arm his country with nuclear weapons had been opposed in the United Nations by his two companions.
But dramatic shifts in the geopolitical landscape – Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, crucially, the re-election of Donald Trump – have combined to bring Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un together.
On Wednesday morning, the three men led a group of more than 20 world leaders as they strode towards a rostrum in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to watch a “victory day” parade in Beijing.
Xi, dressed in a grey Mao suit and flanked by Putin on his right and Kim on his left, is presiding over what could justifiably be described as proof that a second cold war has begun – led by a triumvirate of nuclear powers that have positioned themselves in diametric opposition to the US and its allies in the west.
The symbolism attached to the first-ever meeting between the three leaders threatened to overshadow the huge military parade snaking through the streets of the Chinese capital.
Just how the photo op will translate into action remains to be seen, but one world leader not on Wednesday’s guest list must surely be looking on with a mixture of curiosity and alarm.
Xi’s address continues:
History cautions us that humanity rises and falls together… Today humanity has to choose between peace and war.
He vows to speed up the building of a world class military, which is met with applause.
The Chinese nation is never intimidated by any bullies.
The speech has concluded, we will continue to keep you up to date.
Xi's speech begins
Xi Jinping is welcoming guests to the parade and delivering a speech.
He welcomes guests from around the world and says the parade is an occasion to remember history and “cherish peace” – paying tribute to veterans and soldiers.
Xi goes on to talk about China’s achievements in the second world war.
The parade has commenced, they are singing the Chinese national anthem.
Kim Jong-un's daughter makes international debut
Photos have emerged showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stepping off his armoured train at Beijing Railway Station accompanied by his daughter, Kim Ju-ae.
There has been intense international speculation about Kim Ju-ae since she made her first public appearance in November 2022 when she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father.
South Korea’s spy agency has previously said she is seen as her father’s heir apparent.
Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley has criticised former Victorian Labor premier Daniel Andrews and former Labor foreign affairs minister Bob Carr this morning, over their travel to Beijing for the military parade.
Ley said:
I think for those two individuals, they need to explain why they are attending a military parade that Vladimir Putin is attending and what that actually tells the world.
The shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie said the decision to attend reflected poorly on the judgment of Andrews and Carr.
This is a parade for dictators. It’s a celebration of the Chinese Communist party … I look forward to seeing them clap like seals as the missiles roll by.
The presence of the leaders from North Korea and Russia at the victory day parade is significant.
Xi Jinping is flanked on either side by Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un – the first time the trio have appeared together.
Kim and Putin signed a defence pact in Pyongyang last year, pledging military support if either comes under attack. North Korea is under UN sanctions over its nuclear programme, while Russia has been hit with waves of western sanctions since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
China is North Korea’s only formal ally and its main economic lifeline – about 90% of North Korea’s imports come from China. Kim last visited China in January 2019. Beijing also counts Russia as a strategic partner.
Putin, wanted by the international criminal court, last travelled to China in 2024.
Some images from Tiananmen Square:
Xi, Kim, Putin appear together
The leaders of China, Russia and North Korea have been photographed walking to the parade together. It is a striking image, that has been beamed onto large screens in Beijing.
Who’s on the guest list?
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, will attend the parade alongside 26 visiting heads of state.
Among the notable guests: Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
Seating arrangements will be closely watched – a photo-op of Xi, Putin and Kim side by side would be a powerful image.
Other attendees include Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iran’s president Masoud Pezashkian and South Korea’s National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik.
Leaders from the US, western Europe, Japan, India and South Korea are not attending.
The full list is as follows:
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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
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Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko
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Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni
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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel
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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
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Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov
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Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
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Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu
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Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa
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Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing
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Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif
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President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso
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Russian President Vladimir Putin
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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico
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Tajik President Emomali Rahmon
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Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov
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Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev
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Vietnamese President Luong Cuong
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Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Kim Jong-un, Putin and Xi Jinping are walking together to watch the parade, we will bring you the images as soon as we can. It’s an extraordinary sight.
Today’s parade marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the second world war and Japan’s surrender.
This ended a brutal conflict in China – one of the main battlegrounds in Asia during the war – which claimed millions of lives.
After Japan’s defeat, fighting continued between communist and nationalist forces until 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was established under Mao Zedong – the state Xi Jinping now leads.
Xi has made strengthening the People’s Liberation Army a central part of his rule, and uses events like today’s to project military power and nationalist pride.
But the parade is also a message to the west, showing off China’s geopolitical might.
You can read more from the Guardian’s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins:
Welcome summary
Hello, I’m Ima Caldwell and I’ll be taking you through our live coverage of China’s victory day parade in Beijing.
The military showcase will unfold in Tiananmen Square, starting at 9am local time (CST), commemorating 80 years since Japan’s surrender in the second world war.
On the ground there are road closures and tight security measures. We’re expecting a speech by China’s leader Xi Jinping and a 70-minute parade of tens of thousands of troops, more than 100 aircraft and a vast array of military hardware. There will be land, sea, and air-based strategic weapons, advanced precision warfare equipment and drones on display, while warplanes and helicopters will fly in formation in the skies overhead.
It’s the first major military parade in the country since 2019 and the 70th anniversary of the founding of communist China. Analysts will be closely watching the parade for signs of enhancements to China’s military hardware.
But eyes will also be on the 26 heads of state attending the event. As well as Vladimir Putin from Russia, Kim Jong-un from North Korea and Masoud Pezeshkian from Iran, leaders from Myanmar, Mongolia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe and central Asian countries will witness China’s unveiling of a range of combat-ready weaponry. The only western leaders on the guest list published by China’s ministry of foreign affairs are from Serbia and Slovakia.
You read about the build up to the event here:
Stay with us as it all unfolds…
