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China kicked off its largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, a show of its growing firepower and geopolitical clout as President Xi Jinping seeks to cast Beijing as the custodian of a post-U.S. international order. Flanked by Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, a smiling Xi strolled up a red carpet to take his seat for the lavish event at Tiananmen Square to mark 80 years since Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two. More than 50,000 spectators packed into stands joined a vast choir singing patriotic songs as the dignitaries took their seats on the...

Beijing is set to witness one of the largest diplomatic gatherings on Wednesday, with the world particularly focused on the participation of China’s President Xi Jinping, his Russian and Iranian counterparts, along with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. While it will be Kim’s maiden participation in any multilateral event since he assumed power in 2011, it will also be the first time that the leaders of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea will be at the same place, attending Beijing’s military parade to commemorate the Chinese victory against the Japanese aggression and end of World War II, as well...

A show of solidarity by three countries shunned by the West over their roles in the Ukraine war. China's President Xi Jinping gathered his Russian and North Korean counterparts in Beijing for the first time on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was hosted in the Great Hall of the People for a bilateral where he called the Chinese leader his ''dear friend." The pair then met at Xi's personal residence over tea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's armored train was spotted arriving in the Chinese capital before his motorcade rolled through the streets. The three are set to appear...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he was grateful to Chinese President Xi Jinping, his "dear friend", for the warm welcome he has received during his trip to China. "Dear friend, both I and the entire Russian delegation are pleased to meet once again with our Chinese friends and colleagues," Putin told Xi at a meeting, according to a video published on the Kremlin's official Telegram messaging app. "Our close communication reflects the strategic nature of Russia-China relations, which are at an unprecedentedly high level."

Chinese nationalists are calling for Russia to return land they claim was stolen by the Kremlin in the 19th century. A video on Chinese social media has called on Beijing to take advantage of Moscow's weakened position to seize large parts of Siberia and Russia's Far East. The clip has gone viral in China and has racked up millions of hits among viewers on TikTok. -snip- The Treaty of Aigun in 1858 forced China to cede much of Manchuria to the Russian Tsar Alexander II. The territory, comprising some 600,000 square kilometres, is part of Russia's Far East and includes...