The September 3rd military parade is coming soon, and Tiananmen Square has entered a tense preparatory stage. This is not just a military parade, but also a "silent game" of international politics.

Just after the news that Kim Jong-un was about to visit China to attend the military parade was announced, the leaders of nine Western countries were collectively absent. Indian Prime Minister Modi even engaged in an incomprehensible "half-way diplomacy". He attended the Shanghai Cooperation Summit, but the military parade avoided talking about it.

This scene is getting more and more interesting.

Nine Western countries are absent

The news that Western countries collectively missed China's September 3rd military parade is not surprising. This move seems accidental, but there are actually traces to follow. When Trump announced that he would impose a 200% tariff on China in a high-profile manner, Shi Po Mao also publicly expressed the hope that all countries would "prudently participate" in China's military parade, so as not to further expand China's historical narrative dominance.

Immediately afterwards, several major European powers, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, made the same statement, citing reasons such as "overlapping domestic affairs" and "scheduling conflicts." Is it really a schedule conflict?

In fact, this is a closely coordinated "empty chair diplomacy." The Western camp led by the United States clearly intends to weaken the international momentum of China's military parade through this collective action, while creating a divisive impression in global public opinion.

They are well aware that China regards the 93rd National Congress military parade as an important stage to demonstrate "remembering history, cherishing peace, and embracing multilateralism." Therefore, expressing "disapproval" and "non-participation" through absence is a kind of diplomatic implicit provocation.

What's more, they have unfinished "small calculations". Although they shout "de-risking", entrepreneurs in major Western economic powers are still keeping an eye on China's huge market.

German car companies hope to expand exports of new energy vehicles to China, French agricultural companies are competing for China's consumer market, and Britain and the United States maintain deep dependence on China's technological ecology. In this context, the two-faced "diplomatic absence + economic cooperation" style, which not only wants to "show attitude" but also does not want to lose interests, has become a common means of Western countries when playing games with China.

But there is a saying that goes well: you can avoid the opening, but you can't avoid the real contest! How to make China's own voice heard through such a military parade is obviously not a problem that can be solved by the joint "absence" of several countries.

South East Asia responded positively

The more you are on the cusp of the trend, the more you can see "who is a friend and who is an ally". In sharp contrast to the cold eyes of Western countries, many governments in South East Asia have proved their support for China's September 3rd military parade with practical actions.

King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia is the first foreign dignitary to arrive in China. His visit not only reflects the strong traditional friendship between China and Cambodia, but also epitomizes the entire Southeast Asian region's expectation for China's continuous deepening cooperation.

Immediately after, the Indonesian President, the Malaysian Prime Minister and other leaders announced their confirmation to attend the military parade, which further clarified the interaction situation in the whole region. These actions of South East Asia countries are not accidental, but based on two profound practical considerations.

China is increasingly becoming an economic driving engine for regional cooperation. With the "Belt and Road" initiative as a link, cooperation projects such as the China-Vietnam Railway, the Jingang High-speed Railway in Cambodia, and the China-Malaysia East Coast Railway have brought tangible benefits to the development of ASEAN countries.

In Indonesia, for example, the Java high-speed rail that Chinese companies have participated in the construction of in recent years has not only effectively promoted the modernization of local transportation, but also greatly promoted the formation of surrounding industrial clusters. The cross-border railway cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has filled the gap in infrastructure in the region and laid a solid foundation for the acceleration of regional circulation.

Confidence in "betting on China's future development" determines their choice, and South East Asia countries know that long-term sustainable development can only be achieved by choosing closer partners and building on the "Asia-Pacific Power Circle".

In a sense, the 93rd military parade not only demonstrated China's insistence on multilateralism, but also became an invisible indicator for them to judge changes in international power.

It can be said that this active participation in Southeast Asia and the cold watch of the West have formed an intriguing contrast. In the complex game of major powers, China's ASEAN circle of friends appears to be more "realistic" and more pragmatic.

Kim Jong-un's visit

To the surprise of the outside world, another Chinese "diplomatic trump card" will also be unveiled at the September 3 military parade: the arrival of North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un.

This decision can be said to have sharply focused global attention on China-North Korea relations. After all, the outside world originally thought that North Korea had been carefully seeking independent space between China and the United States for many years. Although there was no break between China and North Korea, the heat of friendship has long since disappeared.

However, Kim Jong-un's visit to China not only broke this speculation, but also demonstrated that the deep strategic cooperative relationship between China and North Korea still has a strong survival rate.

From North Korea's several consecutive China-related statements in recent days, we can also see that China-North Korea exchanges are gradually transitioning from courtesy interactions to deeper cooperation. The choice of a high-profile appearance during the September 3rd military parade sent a clear signal that China and North Korea The foundation is still there, and China, North Korea and Russia will jointly raise the flag and move forward when responding to regional challenges.

Just a few days before the announcement of Kim Jong-un's upcoming visit to China, South Korean President Lee Jae-ming had just met with Trump. This was undoubtedly a kind of pressure for Kim Jong-un. His military parade was not only a response to the US-South Korea "strategy of" wooing ", but also a demonstration of North Korea's insistence on" relying on China and Russia."

Regarding military shocks in the region, such as the United States, Japan and South Korea accelerating regional weapons deployment plans, this public appearance can be said to have adopted a different counter-attitude.

conclusion

The 93rd military parade is a diplomatic competition with visible smoke and a microcosm of a multilateral game. When Kim Jong-un had not yet arrived in China, Modi secretly played two sides of chess, the West gathered together to refuse to attend, and Southeast Asian neighbors set their itinerary early. We can read two words from all these actions, the situation.

middleFang's reply that "nearly 50 leaders from 30 European countries have confirmed their participation" is more like a wise announcement: this is not only a simple counterattack to reject the "narrative of confrontation" between China and the West, but also a clear message of China's commitment to a multipolar international system and the future of peaceful cooperation.