On August 28, our country announced a list of foreign guests to attend the 80th anniversary of the victory, with a total of 26 foreign heads of state and government determined to come to Beijing.
The media all said that this scene is really not small, and the attention is particularly high. Why do you say that? In fact, it is very simple. The international situation has been very chaotic in recent years. Who is willing to come, who is not coming, and what identity is coming. As soon as this list came out, the outside world immediately understood several layers of meaning: this event held in Beijing is not only a commemoration of the past, but also a window for current diplomacy.
Let's talk about the North Korean leader first. Many people have the impression of him that he does not visit abroad much, and is especially reluctant to participate in occasions where leaders of many countries appear together. This time he regarded Beijing as his first multilateral event, which was really surprising.
Why Beijing? Three reasons:
- Safe and rest assured, and the itinerary can be controlled. He mostly goes out by train, and the route to Beijing is very stable. He can get there in a few days, and his safety is guaranteed. If you go farther away, the road will take a long time and there will be many risks, so it is inappropriate.
- The occasion is right. Russia's Victory Day military parade is more about commemorating the European battlefield, and it has little historical connection with North Korea; but Beijing commemorates the Anti-Japanese War and the world's anti-fascist victory. Back then, North Korea also participated in the anti-Japanese struggle in the Asian battlefield. This historical love is here. Come here to talk about both history and the present.
- There can be practical gains. This time, leaders from many countries have come to Beijing, and the North Korean leader can talk and greet people from different countries here, which is much easier than if he made several trips alone. More importantly, it can also send a signal to the outside world that North Korea is not isolated and is willing to communicate as long as the occasion is right.
There is also a small detail that can show the importance of our Chinese – this list, Putin first, the leader of North Korea second, this order is not random, indicating our relationship with North Korea is warming up.
Putin's visit this time was not easy. Russia used the terms "unprecedented" and "trip to the century" to describe his trip and said that almost all important officials would follow him. Why do you pay so much attention? Very simply, Russia is now at a critical time and cannot be separated from communication and cooperation with China. There are many things that can be discussed on this stage in Beijing. Politics, economics, and science and technology can be put on the table to talk about. The outside world is guessing what the two sides will talk about. I want to say that the specific list of talks has not been made public yet, so no one should make it up.
What is certain is that Russia has raised the specifications so high, which means that this time it wants to promote a package of cooperation, not a formality. When the news is released after the event, let's look at the details and don't jump to conclusions now.
Turning to the US side, Trump has been talking a lot about meeting the North Korean leader recently. When he met with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, he also said that he hoped to meet the North Korean leader this year. But here's the problem: the rhetoric is lively, but the actual policy is not relaxed at all. How about sanctions against North Korea? Instead, the restrictions on China's science and technology have intensified, and it has also proposed that China join the "nuclear reduction" plan. The Chinese response is straightforward: "neither reasonable nor realistic". Why do you say that? Let's talk about nuclear weapons. The vast majority of nuclear weapons in the world are in the hands of the United States and Russia, which have far more nuclear stockpiles than other countries.
It is not appropriate to let the nuclear scale be far less than their country promises, it is not appropriate to let the nuclear scale be far less than their country promises, it is only to talk about disarmament, it is not appropriate to let the nuclear scale be much less than their country promises, it is not appropriate to let the nuclear scale be much less than their country promises. It is not easy to see the Chinese engineers outside the critical systems, this approach will only make the two sides less confident. You see one situation, you understand: the few people that Trump most wanted to see, Putin, the North Korean leader, and some other leaders he has pointed to, this time came to Beijing, and sat in the same venue. He wanted to invite these people to meet the United States, it is not so easy; but China had a commemorative event, and they gathered
Looking back to Japan, before Tokyo through some channels to persuade other countries not to participate, the result of the list appeared Japan's former prime minister Yosemite Von Dzhiv. Yosemite's position is known to all, the advocate of viewing the history, supporting the improvement of relations with China. This arrangement can explain two things: one is that China does not exclude the exchanges with Japan, only hopes Japan's attitude to be correct; the second is that the inside of Japan is not a piece of iron, there is a different voice.
There is also one person in the list that can be easily overlooked, namely the Myanmar military government leader Minnie Aung-Lee. Burma's civil war has not been broken in the past few years, the West has also been sanctioning, and the outside world has a lot of differences in their assessment.But now he appears in Beijing, can explain two things: one is that China is not very identifiable with the use of sanctions to drive the other side out of international occasions, or advocates more contact, more communication, putting the issue to the table slowly, and the second is that for Burma, can appear in this occasion, itself is to preserve some international space.
As for some people saying that this is China's "endorsement" of Myanmar, I don't think this can be too full. Recognizing an actual authority, and supporting all its practices, are two different things. I can sit down and talk so as not to let the situation get more and more chaotic. If you figure this out, you won't be too entangled in your heart.
Everyone may also be concerned about whether there will be more in-depth cooperation on the line between China, Russia and North Korea. Some people on the Internet mentioned the idea of establishing a free trade zone around the Tumen River Port, saying that the three parties would work together to build a port to drive Northeast China to sea, which would also benefit North Korea and Russia. This idea sounds reasonable, but I must say that there is currently no official confirmation of this matter and there are no specific details. Discussions are now just at the idea level and cannot be regarded as a settled project. When we have authoritative news, let's talk about it in detail and don't take sides in advance. However, one thing is certain. The China-Russia talks are of high standards and involve a wide range of aspects. Everyone just waits and sees the results.
Trump said in his mouth that he wanted to see North Korean leaders, and said that he hoped to see them this year, but North Korea’s demands were clear: to ease sanctions, the regime should be safe. But the United States insisted on “to complete denuclearization first”, did not give the conditions that could make North Korea trust. Both sides stood in place, each said, can’t talk together is not surprising. Now Beijing is on such a big stage, many people he wanted to see are coming, but he can’t see, and the heart isn’t taste. But politics is not by sentiment, policy is not adjusted, does not give out the sincerity, want to see and be together. Moreover, he said on the one hand that he wanted to see this, see that, and on the other hand that Chinese engineers were excluded from
The significance of this list lies not in "how many countries have been drawn to take sides", but in "who is willing to come to Beijing to sit down and talk together." These countries all have very practical needs: economic development, security stability, infrastructure construction, and market connectivity. On these issues, China can provide a platform, provide opportunities for cooperation, and create a relatively balanced dialogue environment. Now that all these are put out, people will naturally be willing to come. If you have to say that this is a "group group", you can only say that it is a "group group to do things", not a "group to confront".
For China, conducting this event is both respecting history and looking forward to the future; for all countries that participate, willingness to come, is recognizing the value of this platform.