From a Western perspective, next week’s gathering in Beijing might look like a parade of pariahs. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to be the most prominent guests at a military parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The event on Wednesday, commemorating the 80th anniversary of WWII’s end, has been boycotted by the United States and its major European allies. Their refusal to attend due to Putin’s war in Ukraine isolates the attendees and frames them as a bloc united against the democratic world.
For Kim Jong Un, this is his first trip abroad since 2019, a necessary journey to pay homage to his country’s primary benefactor. The visit is crucial for securing the continued economic support from China that keeps his regime afloat.
The trilateral gathering, however, is a defiant statement from the participants. They are signaling that they can and will forge their own path, creating a new center of gravity in global politics, independent of and in opposition to the West.