Trump rebukes Xi, Putin, Kim over China parade appearance
US President Donald Trump has accused China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un of “conspiring” against America, after the three leaders appeared together at China’s largest-ever military parade on Wednesday.
The event, held in Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II, showcased a vast display of modern weaponry, including nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and advanced underwater drones.
Xi, who inspected the parade in an open-top car, told the crowd of more than 50,000 that the world was once again facing a choice “between peace and war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum.”
He declared that China was “unstoppable” and would not be intimidated by “bullies,” in what analysts said was a thinly veiled reference to the United States and its allies.
For the first time, Xi posed publicly with both Kim and Putin, alongside leaders from Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia and Myanmar.
Analysts described the image of the three strongmen walking together in Tiananmen Square as a powerful symbol of defiance against the West.
From Washington, Trump reacted on his Truth Social account with sarcasm: “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.”
Following the parade, Kim and Putin held a bilateral meeting in which the North Korean leader pledged to do “everything I can to assist” Russia, calling it a “fraternal duty.”
Russian state media reported that Putin thanked Kim for the bravery of North Korean troops, with South Korea estimating that Pyongyang has already sent about 15,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
Putin’s visit to Beijing coincided with renewed Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, which left at least four railway workers injured and prompted Poland to scramble defence aircraft.
No Western leaders attended the parade, underscoring the sharp geopolitical divides. Analysts say the gathering signals Beijing’s deepening alignment with Moscow and Pyongyang, but also note that a formal three-way meeting has yet to take place.
“If all three were to meet, it would highlight a potential new cold war dynamic. If not, it may be because Beijing wants to avoid overly provoking the United States while maintaining triangular ambiguity,” said Lim Chuan-Tiong of the University of Tokyo’s Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia.
