China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a military parade in Beijing on 3 September marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Beijing has invited a total of 26 foreign heads of state and government to the event, billed as “V-Day” commemorations, which will feature a large-scale display of the People’s Liberation Army in Tiananmen Square. The trip will be Kim’s first visit abroad since January 2019 and the largest multilateral gathering he has ever joined, offering a rare opportunity to meet a broad range of leaders. It will also be the first time Kim and Putin appear publicly alongside President Xi Jinping, underscoring deepening ties among Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing. No major Western leaders are on the guest list; Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is the only attendee from the European Union, according to Chinese officials. Analysts say the parade allows China to showcase military capabilities and signal a united front with North Korea and Russia as all three face growing pressure from the United States and its allies. North Korea remains under U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes, while Putin continues to travel to friendly capitals despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.