Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un at military parade in Beijing

According to Chinese information, North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong-un will come to Beijing next week for one of his rare trips abroad. China and North Korea are very welcome by friends and Beijing, Secretary General Kim, said Vice Foreign Minister Hong Lei.

The two countries had fought together in World War II, emphasized Hong. China is ready to strengthen the cooperation with North Korea and to promote peace in the region. The military parade is said to be reminiscent of the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II.

Travel abroad by the North Korean ruler are extremely rare. In the past six years, Kim Jong Un has only left North Korea’s national borders once, in September 2023 for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting took place in the Wostotschny space station in the eastern Amur region, about 100 kilometers from the border with China. Kim’s last visit to China took place in January 2019: At that time he met Xi Jinping for talks in the Beijing Great Hall of the People.

In addition to Kim, Putin will also take part in the military parade in Beijing on September 3. A total of China expects state and government heads from 26 countries. According to Chinese information, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are to travel from Europe.

Large military parades in China are rare. The last took place in 2019 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic. The event, at which state and party leader XI Jinping gives a speech and the folk exemption army wants to show new weapons systems, is also seen as a military demonstration of power in the region, where China is increasingly aggressive in the South Chinese Sea or in Taiwanstrasse. China itself wants to see the parade and its growing military power understood as a contribution to peace.