It’s a great photo opportunity to see North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade in the heart of Beijing. For Xi, it’s also a significant diplomatic victory.
The Chinese leader has been making a concerted effort to portray Beijing as a diplomatic powerhouse in addition to having the second-largest economy in the world. In the face of Trump’s tariffs upending economic ties, he has underlined China’s position as a reliable trading partner.
Xi is now preparing to welcome Putin to Beijing, even as the US President still hasn’t reached an agreement with him to halt the war in Ukraine. Kim’s surprise announcement of her arrival is equally important. Trump expressed his desire to see Kim Jong Un again during a meeting with the South Korean president last week. Despite two world-famous summits, his final attempt at diplomacy with the hermit despot ended without real progress. Trump seems to want to give it another go.
The Chinese leader is indicating that he might be in control of the geopolitical cards in this game and that any agreement could benefit greatly from his influence, however limited, on both Kim and Putin.
On September 3, China will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two, ending its occupation of parts of China, with a parade showcasing its military power.
It’s important to note that Xi has now transformed it into a demonstration of something more. The White House has indicated that President Trump is amenable to meeting with Xi and may visit the area at the end of October.
A long-awaited tariff agreement, the sale of TikTok in the US, and Beijing’s capacity to convince Putin to agree to a ceasefire or more in Ukraine are just a few of the topics they can discuss.
The Chinese leader would now be able to meet with Trump without feeling excluded because he has met both Kim and Putin. Because of his deep ties to both presidents, he might even know information that his US counterpart does not.
The Western world views North Korea and Russia as outcasts. Kim’s weapons program kept him in power for a lot longer than Putin’s, but his backing of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has reignited the outrage.
Given that a North Korean leader hasn’t participated in a military parade in China since 1959, the invitation to Beijing is a significant step for him.
Xi and Kim have not been in public much since they met in 2019 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of China-North Korea relations. In 2018, Kim Jong Un made his first visit to Beijing before he met with President Trump to curtail Pyongyang’s nuclear development.
Xi even seemed to be on the periphery of a growing Moscow-Pyongyang alliance in more recent times, which Beijing might not have wanted to be involved in.
While advocating for a peaceful resolution, China has made an effort to maintain its public neutrality over the conflict in Ukraine. Beijing, meanwhile, has come under fire from the United States and its allies for allegedly aiding Moscow’s endeavours by providing Russia with components for its war campaign.
Some observers questioned whether Kim’s growing closeness to Putin had caused a rift in China’s relations with North Korea. However, that may not be the case given Kim’s trip to Beijing next week.
The North Korean leader cannot just abandon the alliance because China supplies about 90% of his food imports and his economy is highly dependent on it. Additionally, Kim gains legitimacy by sharing the stage with leaders from Indonesia, Iran, and other countries in addition to Putin and Xi. In anticipation of a potential summit with Trump, Xi is using this as diplomatic leverage with Washington. In an effort to reach an agreement and prevent devastating tariffs and a trade war, the two nations have persisted in their negotiations. Although there is currently another 90-day respite, Xi will want the strongest hand possible as negotiations continue because time is running out.
His contributions are numerous: Trump previously received assistance from China when he attempted to meet with Kim Jong Un. Is Xi capable of doing that again? Perhaps more crucial is China’s potential contribution to bringing the conflict in Ukraine to an end. The most startling question of all is if Donald Trump, Kim, Putin, and Xi could meet.
Source: BBC News
