Xi Rolls Out Red Carpet for Ukraine War Aggressors

Putin and Kim’s Visit to Beijing Underscores Shifting Global Power Balance
Beijing, September 1, 2025 – Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting a high profile military parade in Beijing this week, welcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in a powerful display of unity among authoritarian states. The joint appearance of two key antagonists in the Ukraine and Korean Peninsula crises underscores China’s growing role as a central hub for regimes seeking to challenge the U.S.-led international order.
The event marks Putin’s first state visit to China since being officially labeled a war criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Kim’s presence also highlights the deepening cooperation between Beijing and Pyongyang amid global concern over North Korea’s escalating weapons programs.
The parade, featuring over 15,000 troops and advanced military hardware including joint Russian-Chinese systems signals more than just symbolic solidarity. Analysts say it’s a direct message to the West: China is positioning itself as a strategic nucleus for anti Western alliances, offering diplomatic cover, economic partnerships, and military cooperation.

“This is China’s answer to NATO unity,” said one regional analyst. “Xi is crafting an alternative world order with security and political arrangements that bypass the traditional Western-led institutions.”

Strategic Consequences
The Beijing gathering is not just ceremonial. Sources suggest the leaders are discussing long-term energy agreements, currency realignment away from the U.S. dollar, and coordinated cyber defense strategies.
For Russia, China’s support offers economic breathing room amid ongoing sanctions. For North Korea, deeper ties to Beijing and Moscow offer leverage against U.S. and South Korean pressure. And for China, the optics of hosting two isolated leaders elevates its global influence even if it comes at the cost of further straining ties with the West.
What’s Next?
The joint summit and parade raise serious questions for U.S. policymakers: How will Washington respond to a more organized, publicly unified axis of authoritarian powers? Can Western alliances maintain cohesion amid growing populist and isolationist sentiment at home?
As China embraces global outliers, and America appears divided over its role in the world, the geopolitical chessboard is being redrawn with high stakes for the international order.