Pyongyang: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is anticipated to depart for Beijing on Monday aboard his special armored train to attend China's significant military parade scheduled for later this week, sources revealed Sunday. The government sources indicated that Kim might need to leave as early as Monday to arrive in Beijing by Tuesday, given the train's travel time of up to 24 hours.
According to Yonhap News Agency, China plans to conduct a 70-minute military parade on Wednesday, featuring its latest weaponry and troops marching to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, celebrated as a victory over Japan. Observers suggest that Kim is more inclined to utilize his forest-green train instead of "Chammae-1," the private plane he used for long-distance domestic trips in his early years due to the plane's age. Kim has previously visited China four times, traveling by train during his first and fourth visits in March 2018 and January 2019, and using his private jet for visits in May and June 2018.
For this upcoming visit, he might cross the North Korea-China border Monday night aboard the train and stay at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where he lodged during three of his previous four visits, observers also predicted. The military parade will mark Kim's first appearance on the multilateral diplomatic stage, potentially paving the way for a three-way summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be the first time for Kim, who assumed power in late 2011, to attend a multilateral diplomatic event. His grandfather and North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, attended a military parade in Beijing in 1959.
The decision by Kim to attend China's military parade alongside Putin and Xi follows announcements by both South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump expressing their eagerness to resume diplomacy with North Korea during their summit in Washington. With Kim attending this week's military parade in Beijing with Putin and Xi, it signals that the North Korean leader is not interested in engaging with diplomacy with South Korea or the United States.
Kim and Putin, who have held bilateral summits, have deepened military ties, with Pyongyang sending troops and weapons to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. North Korea's state media showed that Kim finalized his troop deployment decision on August 28 last year. Russian media reported that Kim, Putin, and Xi will attend the military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3. A Kremlin official cited in the report mentioned that Kim will be seated on Xi's left, while Putin will be seated to the right of Xi.
In a 2023 speech, Kim referred to a "new Cold War" gaining momentum and emphasized the country's intent for "anti-U.S. solidarity," hinting at diplomatic efforts to balance against the U.S. and its allies. Analysts believe North Korea's decision to send Kim to China is part of efforts to mend frayed ties with Beijing, anticipating the Russia-Ukraine war's conclusion, which could shift Moscow's focus westward.
Since last year, Pyongyang has rapidly aligned with Moscow, sending troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, and turning to Russia as its main supplier of rare resources and assistance. The Pyongyang-Moscow alignment has strained ties with Beijing, but recently, North Korea and China have shown signs of improving relations. Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the North's parliamentary standing committee, attended a recent reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang to celebrate an anniversary.
Experts suggest that Kim might have chosen to attend the military parade to leverage North Korea's closer relations with China, strengthening its bargaining position ahead of a potential resumption of negotiations with the U.S. "Kim's trip implies his intent to use it as an opportunity to further strengthen North Korea-China, North Korea-Russia, and North Korea-China-Russia solidarity to counter" Western countries at a time when all three countries face sanctions, said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies.