In a rare foreign trip, Xi brings Kim, Putin together in Beijing

The leaders of 26 countries joined Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a military parade in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, in a show of solidarity among nations friendly to Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who made a rare foreign trip to attend, flanked Xi as they ascended to the viewing platform overlooking Tiananmen Square and watched the display of military hardware and marching troops. Observers say the joint appearance was a show of unity against the United States.

Leaders from the US, Western Europe, Japan and India skipped the event and countries like South Korea and Singapore sent lower-level officials. But Xi’s guest list showed Beijing’s growing influence in the Global South and other emerging economies.

Here’s a glance at Xi’s guests:

US adversaries

Joining Putin and Kim included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, all considered US adversaries. Russia’s close ally Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko walked next to Kim after taking group pictures with other leaders.

Putin and Kim chatted animatedly with Xi as they climbed up the stairs to the viewing platform.

The sight of these leaders, with Xi, appeared to observers as a challenge to a US-led international order.

Leaders from Asia, Africa and the Americas         

Asia accounted for the majority of national leaders at the event.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who initially cancelled his trip to China due to protests at home, made it to Beijing and took part in the event with his counterparts in Southeast Asia, such as Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, Vietnamese President Luong Cuong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Myanmar’s military leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was there too.

Other leaders from South and Central Asia attended, including Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Kazakhstan president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Republic of Congo’s President Denis Sassou Nguesso were also on the guest list.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel was the only leader from the Americas to attend.

The guest list had heavy overlap with the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation days earlier, but there were some notable departures before the parade, including representatives from India and Turkiye.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted warm words about meetings with Xi and Putin on social media platform X. He posted a picture of himself and Putin travelling together with him, saying that “conversations with him are always insightful,” and wrote that he had a “fruitful meeting” with Xi.

Most European leaders stayed away

Other than Putin and Lukashenko, the only other European leaders to attend the parade were Serbia’s Russia-friendly President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

But former Romanian prime ministers Adrian Nastase and Viorica Dancila took the group picture with current leaders.