XI Jinping defies the West and gathers the “axis of destabilization” at a great military parade
Chinese President Xi Jinping will be accompanied by the leaders of some of the most sanctioned countries in the world-Russia, North Korea, Iran and Myanmar-at the next week's military parade, in a demonstration of solidarity against the West, comments Reuters.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will participate in the parade of “Victory Day”, which marks the end of World War II after the official capitulation of Japan. It will be the first time that both will appear in public with XI, notes News.ro citing Reuters.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is also expected to be present on the podium, while tens of thousands of soldiers will march through the Chinese capital, completing a quartet that Western political and economic analysts have described to be the “axis of destabilization” (Axis of Upheaval).
The head of the military junction in Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, who rarely travels abroad, will also participate in the event, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
Almost no Western leader will be among the 26 heads of state or government who will participate in the parade, who, according to political analysts, will demonstrate XI's influence on countries that intend to reshape the global order led by the West.
The two leaders in Europe who participate but
“Xi Jinping is trying to prove that it is very strong, that it is still influential and well seen in China,” said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Policy School of the National University of Singapore. “When Xi was just a regional leader, he admired Putin and saw a leader from whom he could learn – and now he is a global leader. The fact that Kim is next to him emphasizes the fact that Xi is now a global leader,” says the expert.
A weak coalition of states determined to reshape the global order led by the West, the “axis of destabilization” sought to undermine the US interests, or in terms of Taiwan, or by blocking maritime routes, and sought to undermine Western sanctions, providing each other.
The only Western heads or government heads participating in the events in Beijing are Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, a member of the European Union, and Aleksandar Vucic, President of Serbia. Fico opposed the sanction of Russia for the war against Ukraine and distanced from the EU visiting Moscow. Vucic also visited Moscow in May and wants good relationships with Russia and China, but says Serbia remains engaged in the EU accession.
Who comes to the parade of Xi
Russia, which Beijing considers a strategic partner, was hit by several rounds of Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, its economy being about to enter the recession.
Putin, sought by the International Criminal Court for accusations of war crimes for the illegal deportation of hundreds of children in Ukraine, last time in China in 2024. He is largely ostracized by the West and avoided making major concessions on Ukraine, while US President Donald Trump ends.
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North Korea, a formal ally of China, is under the sanctions of the 2006 United Nations Security Council for the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Kim visited China last time in January 2019.
China, the second largest economy in the world, buys about 90% of Iran's sanctioned oil exports and continues to supply myanmar with rare metals essential for the manufacture of wind turbines, medical devices and electric vehicles.
Other leaders who will participate in what will be one of the largest parades in China in recent years are President Belarus Aleksandr Lukaşnko, Indonesian President Prabowo Subaianto and the president of South Korea National Assembly, Woo Won-Shik, said the Deputy Minister of China, Hong lei, in a press.
The United Nations will be represented by undersecretary general Li Junhua, who previously held various functions within the Chinese Foreign Ministry, including that of China's ambassador to Italy, San Marino and Myanmar.
And former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama will participate in the parade, Hong said. He did not mention any guest from Italy or Germany, the other two axis powers during World War II.
