Putin Arrives in China for Sept. 3 Military Parade, Expected to Appear with Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un | WPN World People News

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tianjin, China, on August 31 aboard a special flight to begin a four-day visit. In addition to attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, Putin will travel to Beijing to participate in the military parade on September 3 commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan. He is expected to appear alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. This move not only symbolizes the strategic alignment of China, Russia, and North Korea but also underscores Putin’s intent to deepen pragmatic cooperation with China and expand multilateral diplomatic engagement.

Putin stated that during this visit he will hold in-depth talks with Xi Jinping covering political security, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchanges. He emphasized that China-Russia trade relations have reached a historic high, with bilateral trade volume increasing by about USD 100 billion since 2021. China has become Russia’s largest trading partner, and bilateral settlements have almost entirely shifted to local currencies, with the share of the U.S. dollar and euro dropping to negligible levels. In the energy sector, Russia remains one of China’s top suppliers of oil and natural gas. Since the “Power of Siberia” pipeline began operations in 2019, cumulative gas deliveries have exceeded 100 billion cubic meters, and the two sides plan to launch the “Far Eastern Route” pipeline in 2027 to further expand cooperation.

According to Li Yonghui, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Putin’s “unprecedented” visit aims to elevate China-Russia relations in scope, depth, and resilience, while highlighting their shared positions on multilateralism and global governance. The two countries are expected to continue strengthening coordination within the UN, BRICS, and other multilateral frameworks, jointly opposing unilateralism and bloc confrontation, and working to safeguard the international order and global strategic stability.

In addition, Putin will use the SCO summit and the September 3 parade as opportunities to engage in high-level talks with other world leaders, emphasizing that Russia is not diplomatically isolated despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He also hopes to advance multilateral cooperation in counterterrorism, information security, and drug control through these platforms.