{"id":394996,"date":"2025-09-03T16:40:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T16:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/394996\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:40:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T16:40:20","slug":"leaders-gathering-in-china-may-be-simply-looking-out-for-their-own-interests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/394996\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaders gathering in China may be simply looking out for their own interests"},"content":{"rendered":"

TOKYO (AP) \u2014 The leaders of China, North Korea and Russia stood shoulder to shoulder Wednesday as high-tech military hardware and thousands of marching soldiers filled the streets of Beijing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Two days earlier, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi<\/a>, Russian President Vladimir Putin<\/a> and Chinese President Xi Jinping huddled together, smiling broadly and clasping hands at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The gatherings in China this week could be read as a striking, maybe even defiant, message to the United States and its allies. At the very least, they offered yet more evidence of a burgeoning shift away from a U.S.-dominated, Western-led world order, as President Donald Trump withdraws America from many of its historic roles and roils economic relationships with tariffs.<\/p>\n

Trump himself indicated he was the leaders\u2019 target in a message on social media to Xi: \u201cPlease give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un<\/a>, as you conspire against The United States of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

But China\u2019s military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary<\/a> of the end of World War II, and the earlier economic gathering, is also simply more of the self-interested, diplomatic jockeying that has marked regional power politics for decades.<\/p>\n

Each of these leaders, in other words, is out for himself.<\/p>\n

Xi needs cheap Russian energy and a stable border with North Korea, his nuclear-armed wildcard neighbor. Putin is hoping to escape Western sanctions and isolation over his war in Ukraine. Kim wants money, legitimacy and to one-up archrival South Korea. Modi is trying to manage his relationship with regional heavyweights Putin and Xi, at a moment when ties with Washington are troubled.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Performers<\/p>\n

Performers take part in a gala performance entitled \u201cJustice Will Prevail\u201d to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan\u2019s World War II surrender held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mahesh Kumar)<\/p>\n

Performers take part in a gala performance entitled \u201cJustice Will Prevail\u201d to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan\u2019s World War II surrender held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo\/Mahesh Kumar)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

The events highlight China\u2019s regional aspirations<\/p>\n

China is beset with serious domestic problems \u2014 stark economic and gender inequalities, to name two \u2014 and a tense standoff<\/a> with Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own. But Xi has tried to position China as a leader of countries that feel disadvantaged by the post-World War II order.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis parade showcases the ascendancy of China propelled by Trump\u2019s inept diplomacy and President Xi\u2019s astute statecraft,\u201d said Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies at Temple University Japan. \u201cThe Washington consensus has unraveled, and Xi is rallying support for an alternative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some analysts caution against reading too much into Russia-China-North Korea ties. China remains deeply wary of growing North Korean nuclear power, and has long sought to temper its support \u2014 even agreeing at times to international sanctions \u2014 to try to influence Pyongyang\u2019s pursuit of weapons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThough the Russia-North Korea tie has resumed to a military alliance, China refuses to return to the year of 1950,\u201d when Beijing sent soldiers to support North Korea\u2019s invasion of the South and the USSR provided crucial military aid, said Zhu Feng, dean of the School of International Relations of Nanjing University. \u201cIt is wrong to believe that China, Russia and North Korea are reinforcing bloc-building.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and foreign leaders including Russia President Vladimir Putin, center left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, walk to Tiananmen Rostrum ahead of a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan\u2019s World War II surrender in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Shen Hong\/Xinhua News Agency via AP)<\/p>\n

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and foreign leaders including Russia President Vladimir Putin, center left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, walk to Tiananmen Rostrum ahead of a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Japan\u2019s World War II surrender in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Shen Hong\/Xinhua News Agency via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Russia looks to China to help ease its isolation<\/p>\n

For the Kremlin, Putin\u2019s appearance in Beijing alongside major world leaders is another way to shrug off the isolation imposed by the West<\/a> on Russia in the wake of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.<\/p>\n

It has allowed Putin to take to the world stage as a statesman, meeting a host of world leaders, including Modi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. And Putin\u2019s reception by Xi is a reminder that Russia still has major trading partners, despite Western sanctions that have cut off access to many markets.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Russia does not want to anger Trump, who has been more receptive than his predecessor, particularly in hearing out Moscow\u2019s terms<\/a> for ending its war with Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to say that no one has been plotting anything; no one was weaving any conspiracies,\u201d Putin\u2019s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said about Trump\u2019s social media message. \u201cNone of the three leaders had even thought about such a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Russian<\/p>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gesture as they leave a reception following a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin, second right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gesture as they leave a reception following a military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Kim Jong Un walks a diplomatic tightrope in Beijing<\/p>\n

The North Korean leader\u2019s trip to Beijing will deepen new ties with Russia<\/a> while also focusing on the shaky relationship with his nation\u2019s most crucial ally, and main economic lifeline, China.<\/p>\n

Kim has sent thousands of troops and huge supplies of military equipment to help Russian forces to repel a Ukrainian incursion on their territory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Without specifically mentioning the Ukraine war, Kim told Putin on Wednesday that \u201cif there\u2019s anything I can do for you and the people of Russia, if there is more that needs to be done, I will consider it as a brotherly obligation, an obligation that we surely need to bear.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank affiliated with South Korea\u2019s spy agency, said in a report this week that Kim\u2019s trip, his first appearance at a multilateral diplomatic event since taking power in 2011, is meant to strengthen ties with friendly countries ahead of any potential resumption of talks about its nuclear program with Trump. The two leaders\u2019 nuclear diplomacy collapsed in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cKim can also claim a diplomatic victory as North Korea has gone from unanimously sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council for its illegal nuclear and missile programs to being embraced by UNSC permanent members Russia and China,\u201d said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Russian<\/p>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin, from left, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Suo Takekuma\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

Russian President Vladimir Putin, from left, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit at the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. (Suo Takekuma\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

India\u2019s Modi is playing a nuanced game<\/p>\n

Modi is on his first visit to China<\/a> since relations between the two countries deteriorated after Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in deadly border clashes<\/a> in 2020.<\/p>\n

But the tentative rapprochement has its limits. Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said the Indian leader did not participate in Beijing\u2019s military parade because the \u201cdistrust with China still exists.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cIndia is carefully walking this tightrope between the West and the rest, especially when it comes to the U.S., Russia and China,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause India does not believe in formal alliances, its approach has been to strengthen its relationship with the U.S., maintain it with Russia, and manage it with China.\u201d <\/p>\n

Even as he takes some steps toward China, the United States is also on Modi\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

India and Washington were negotiating a free trade agreement when the Trump administration imposed 25% tariffs for New Delhi\u2019s purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs to 50%<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Trade talks have since stalled and relations have significantly declined. Modi\u2019s administration has vowed to not to yield to U.S. pressure and signaled it is willing to move closer to China and Russia. <\/p>\n

But Donthi said India would still like to keep a window open for Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Modi can shake hands with Xi five years after the India-China border clash, it could be far easier for him to shake hands with Trump and get back to strengthening ties, because they are natural allies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea; Ken Moritsugu in Beijing; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TOKYO (AP) \u2014 The leaders of China, North Korea and Russia stood shoulder to shoulder Wednesday as high-tech…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7655],"tags":[11410,3801,1395,7684,5293,32,26934,4179,730,73813,8615,29515,2585,22817,13289,285,136579,8536,332,7659,7661,26933,12022,120680,5213,333,7660,263,1773,26830],"class_list":{"0":"post-394996","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-russia","8":"tag-asia-pacific","9":"tag-beijing","10":"tag-china","11":"tag-china-government","12":"tag-diplomacy","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-energy-industry","15":"tag-general-news","16":"tag-india","17":"tag-india-government","18":"tag-international-news","19":"tag-kim-jong-un","20":"tag-masoud-pezeshkian","21":"tag-narendra-modi","22":"tag-north-korea-government","23":"tag-politics","24":"tag-praveen-donthi","25":"tag-recep-tayyip-erdogan","26":"tag-russia","27":"tag-russia-government","28":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","29":"tag-sanctions-and-embargoes","30":"tag-soviet-union","31":"tag-united-nations-security-council","32":"tag-united-states-government","33":"tag-vladimir-putin","34":"tag-war-and-unrest","35":"tag-world-news","36":"tag-xi-jinping","37":"tag-yuri-ushakov"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}