Anchor: World leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un were in Beijing on Wednesday for a military parade to celebrate the 80th anniversary of China’s World War II victory over Japan. Live broadcasts showed Chinese President Xi Jinping flanked by Kim and Putin, presenting a flashback to the Cold War-era alignment, as China appeared to flaunt its leadership of a coalition against the West.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: 

[Sound bite: Victory Day military parade in Beijing]

A military parade was held at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan at the end of World War II, with the leaders of China, Russia and North Korea in attendance.

China showcased its DF-5C liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile, which can reportedly carry up to ten independently targetable reentry vehicle warheads, and its DF-26D, dubbed the “Guam Killer,” which reportedly has a range of up to five-thousand kilometers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stood at the center of the Tiananmen Rostrum alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as all the invited world leaders and guests watched over the ceremony.

Xi, Putin and Kim also stood side by side at the center of a group photo taken before the ceremony.

They were spotted exchanging words in front of the other leaders when walking up the steps to the rostrum, as well as during the parade.

It is the first time the leaders of all three countries have been seen together in Beijing since October 1959, when the city hosted a military parade for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

In an apparent message to the U.S., the Chinese president said the world is at a crossroads and must decide whether to take the path of dialogue or confrontation, while saying Beijing will work with people around the world to build a global community.  

U.S. President Donald Trump, in response, said he has no concern about Xi’s apparent desire to reorganize the global order.

But in a social media posting on Tuesday local time, Trump asked for his “warmest regards” to be delivered to Putin and Kim as they and Xi “conspire against The United States of America.”
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.