WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump accused the leaders of China, North Korea and Russia late Tuesday of conspiring against the United States as they gathered in Beijing for a massive military parade.
As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russia’s Vladimir Putin flanked Xi Jinping at the parade marking 80 years since World War II ended, Trump wrote a testy Truth Social post addressing Xi: “give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned the world was facing a choice between peace or war as he held his country’s largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
The lavish event to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War Two has been largely shunned by Western leaders, with Putin and Kim – the guests of honour.
Designed to project China’s military might and diplomatic clout, it also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and volatile policymaking strain its relations with allies and rivals alike.
“Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” Xi told a crowd of more than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square, adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.
Wearing a suit in the style of those worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi earlier greeted more than 20 leaders on the red carpet including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who made a surprise appearance despite widespread protests at home.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, as the event kicked off. He also highlighted the U.S. role in helping China secure its freedom from Japan.
Trump had earlier told reporters he did not see the parade as a challenge to the United States. Japan’s top government spokesperson declined to comment on the parade, adding Asia’s top two economies were building “constructive relations”.