North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has crossed the border into China, marking a significant diplomatic move ahead of a high-profile military parade in Beijing.
Kim’s visit to China is set to be a crucial moment in the country’s relations with its key allies, China and Russia.
According to state media, Kim’s train crossed the North Korea-China border in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with senior officials from the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea accompanying him on his visit.
This visit marks Kim’s first trip to China in six years and his first appearance on a multilateral diplomatic stage since taking office in 2011.
The North Korean leader will attend a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This gathering will be the first time the three leaders have met in a trilateral format, signaling a potential shift in the global power dynamic.
“This is Kim Jong Un’s first time participating in an event with multiple world leaders and presents an important diplomatic opportunity,” Jenny Town, director of the 38 North research program, noted.
“Not only does it reinforce Kim’s elevated standing in an evolving world order, it also situates North Korea firmly within a shared security narrative aligned with China and Russia against the West”.
Kim’s visit to China comes on the heels of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, where Xi and Putin criticized Western dominance of the international order.
North Korea has grown increasingly close to Russia, sending thousands of troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. According to South Korea’s spy agency, around 2,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to help Russia fight Ukraine are estimated to have been killed.
The agency also believes Pyongyang plans to deploy another 6,000 soldiers and engineers to Russia, with 1,000 already arriving. Kim has met Xi five times since coming to power in 2011, most recently in 2019, when the North Korean leader attended an event commemorating the 70th anniversary of China-North Korea relations.
In a recent move to boost morale, Kim met with families of North Korean soldiers killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine. He expressed “grief at having failed to save the precious lives” of those who sacrificed their lives to defend the country’s honor.
The North Korean leader promised the bereaved “a beautiful life” and vowed to take full responsibility for the families of the fallen soldiers, training their children to be “staunch and courageous fighters like their fathers”.
The meeting between Kim, Xi, and Putin will likely have significant implications for global politics. As one of the world’s most isolated states, North Korea relies heavily on China and Russia for economic and diplomatic support.
The trilateral gathering will demonstrate the strengthening ties among the three leaders and their shared willingness to challenge US-led international norms. With 26 world leaders attending the parade, Kim’s presence will undoubtedly draw attention to North Korea’s military capabilities and its growing alliance with China and Russia.