SERBIAN AND SLOVAKIAN LEADERS ARRIVE BEIJING-Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico arrived in Beijing today to attend a massive military parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two following Japan’s surrender.
Vucic and Fico, both critical of sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine, are the only Western leaders attending.
More than 20 world leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will gather in Beijing for the September 3 “Victory Day” event.
The spectacle aims to project China’s military might and diplomatic clout amid doubts over the United States’ global role, as President Donald Trump slashes foreign aid, retreats from international institutions and wages a sweeping trade war on allies and rivals alike.
The unprecedented joint appearance of Xi flanked by Putin and Kim overseeing the showcase of cutting-edge equipment like hypersonic missiles and drones, may well be the defining image of the parade, an “Axis of Upheaval” defying the West.
