Recently, Beijing announced the list of foreign guests for the 93rd parade, this event is to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the resistance war and the world anti-fascist war, scheduled for the 3rd September 2025 Tiananmen Square. The list came out, it caused a lot of discussion, because the Chinese side invited three special guests: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, former Japanese Prime Minister Shenyang Von Dzhiv, and Myanmar's Ming Yongle. These people are different backgrounds, not small, especially Kim Jong Un, this guy is the people Trump long ago shouted to see, and as a result he first came to Beijing, it makes people feel that international relations is really around.
China has been preparing for this event since the beginning of this year. In May, an official logo was released, and in June, a senior military official, Wu Zeke, revealed that the military parade will showcase new weapons and military restructuring. The scale of the parade is not small, with tens of thousands of soldiers, more than 100 aircraft and hundreds of pieces of ground equipment, and lasts about 70 minutes. This is not just a military display, but also a little diplomatic, because 26 foreign heads of state and government, as well as some former politicians and representatives of international organizations, are invited. Western countries have sent few leaders, mostly European Slovak Prime Minister Fizo and Serbian President Vucic, who are close to Russia. Overall, the list reflects China's circle of international partners, mainly concentrated in Asia, Central Asia and some developing countries.
Kim Jong-un’s presence is the most eye-catching on the list. He is the secretary general and chairman of the Labour Party of Korea, this time at the invitation of China. The North Korean-Chinese relationship was deep, from the Second World War to the anti-U.S. regime, the history is closely linked. These years, North Korea faced Western sanctions, Kim Jong-un’s diplomatic activities were much closer to Russia, and in 2024 he also signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Putin. But he alsoined interaction with China, visited China several times since 2018, and received medical assistance from China in 2020. This time in Beijing, he was six years apart, estimated to strengthen economic cooperation and regional stability. The international community was concerned about him, mainly because of Trump’s relationship.
Trump has met Kim Jong-un several times since the Singapore Summit in 2018, and shook hands in Hanoi and Panmunjom in 2019. He always said that he wanted to talk about the peninsula issue again. As a result, Kim Jong-un ignored it and turned to participate in the military parade in Beijing. This incident made Trump vomit in the media, saying that he didn't expect Kim Jong-un to choose Beijing. On the other hand, Kim Jong-un's diplomatic choice is biased towards dealing with countries like China and Russia, rather than those led by the United States.
When he was prime minister from 2009 to 2010, he had a friendly attitude towards China, promoted the eastern Asian community, and referred to the idea of eastern Asia. After leaving office, he did not break ties with China, founded the East Asian Community Research Institute, went to Beijing and Nanjing to participate in events, discussed historical issues and regional cooperation. In 2015, he attended the 70th anniversary event in Beijing.
This time the Chinese side asked him again, it is estimated to acknowledge his kind of friendly position to China. The Japanese domestic political faction, there is a strong hard party, there is also a friendship such as Shenyang. China-Japan relations have recently been a bit tense, the current government of Japan is close to the United States, but please Shenyang, it is the same as China is saying that Japan is not a pot, there is always a space for dialogue. Shenyang himself has also criticized Japan's certain policies against China, this parade, may want to continue to push China-Japan-Korea cooperation, such as the free trade zone.
Min Aung Laing is the leader of Myanmar's military. After launching a coup to overthrow the democratically elected government in 2021, he became the de facto ruler. He extended the state of emergency until the end of July 2025 and also acted as president. Myanmar has a continuous civil war and is internationally isolated. He rarely goes abroad, but he has border cooperation discussions with China. This visit to Beijing was invited by China, which shows that China has not abandoned Myanmar and has given it a platform at a critical time. Western countries have imposed many sanctions on Myanmar, but China has maintained contact, presumably for the sake of regional stability and people's livelihood. Min Aung Lai faces United Nations war crimes charges and his social account has been blocked, but China is politically independent and does not follow the West.
The backgrounds of these three guests are linked to the entire list, which shows the thinking of China's diplomacy. Putin will definitely come. He, Kim Jong Un and Min Aung Lae are both leaders of countries subject to Western sanctions. This gathering in Beijing is like a show of unity against the West. Iranian President Pezeshkyan also came to form an "axis of turmoil." Analysts say this reflects China's influence in reshaping the global order. Compared with the 70th anniversary military parade in 2015, Park Geun-hye came at that time, but Kim Jong-un did not; this time, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung did not come, but Kim Jong-un did. Neighboring countries attended a lot, including all the presidents of the five Central Asian countries. Southeast Asia included Indonesian President Prabowo and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar. Africa and Latin America were few in attendance, while Europe basically only had a few.
Trump added a layer of interest to this matter. He was not included in the list, and although there were reports that he might have been invited, he never showed up. His past with Kim Jong-un is the focus. Trump always boasted that he was the first American president to meet Kim Jong-un and sent letters. However, Kim Jong-un's choice of Beijing for the military parade was tantamount to an indirect refusal. Trump posted on X, saying Kim Jong-un's choice was unexpected and highlighted diplomatic complexity. This also reflects the U.S. policy towards China. The Trump era was a trade war or something. Now he may want to use Kim Jong Un to contain China, but it failed.
More broadly, the military parade is not just a commemoration of history, but also a practical significance. China emphasizes that it is a victorious country in World War II, the war of resistance against Japanese aggression began in 1931, and it has made great contributions. The military parade shows the modernization of military power. Diplomatically, inviting these guests is tantamount to telling the world that China has its own network of partners, not relying on the West. If you come to Kim Jong-un, you can talk about stability on the peninsula; if Hatoyama comes, you can stay at the door of dialogue between China and Japan; if Min Aung Lai comes, you can stabilize the border
Promote multilateral cooperation as a whole and promote regional peace. The international response is polarized. Western media said it was an "axis of turmoil" gathering, fearing that China would challenge the existing order. Japanese media reported that the Japanese government advised Eurasian countries not to go and avoid endorsing China's historical narrative. But the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was to safeguard the achievements of World War II and defend the international order.
The logic behind this list is clear. China's diplomacy is pragmatic, and its partners are selected based on mutual benefit and free from Western pressure. Just like a neighborhood party, who you invite depends on who is reliable and who can help. Trump's failure to see Kim Jong-un is equal to the real version of diplomatic tug-of-war.