North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Russian leader Vladimir Putin flanked Chinese President Xi Jinping at an event to mark the end of World War II. It gives a chance for Kim to get more support from his allies. https://p.dw.com/p/4zwbq Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk after a joint photo session of the heads of foreign delegations invited to the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender, in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 In unprecedented scenes, Xi shook hands and chatted with Kim and Putin as they walked down a red carpet by Tiananmen Square, with Putin to Xi's right and Kim to his leftImage: Sergei Bobylev/Sputnik/AP Photo/picture alliance ADVERTISEMENT Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared alongside North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a grand military parade through Beijing on Wednesday. It underlines the growing influence of an economic and security bloc that has ambitions of facing down what it claims as US-led imperialism. The images from Tiananmen Square, marking the end of World War II in 1945, were calculated to communicate a message of solidarity in the face of foreign sanctions and other pressures, notably on trade, and that the three autocratic regimes are determined to resist external duress. Analysts point out, however, that the three leaders have many diverging policy priorities at home and abroad and suggest that the three-way alliance may be one primarily of convenience, with the smaller and less powerful North Korea even something of a wild card. Playing Moscow, Beijing against each other "Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, was the founder of the North Korean state and famous for playing Beijing off against Moscow back in the 1970s and '80s as he sought to get the very best deals for his regime," said Dan Pinkston, a professor of international relations at the Seoul campus of Troy University. China flexes its military muscle for the world to see 02:59 "Kim is delighted to have been invited to attend the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat because it shows he is at the stage of being accepted as an equal partner," he told DW. "Kim has done a lot for Putin, sending troops for the war in Ukraine and providing weapons and munitions, so he clearly believes he should get some reciprocity. He also wants greater freedom from Beijing because his country has been so reliant on China for so long," he added. "It has come to the point that he resents China, he wants to diversify, which is prudent from Kim's point of view, but worrying to Xi." North Korean economy grows And being alongside Xi and Putin in Beijing is also an opportunity for Kim to play the two powers off against each other, the expert said. "China does not want North Korea to get too close to Russia," Pinkston pointed out, because Beijing has been Pyongyang's closest ally since the 1950-53 Korean War and was able for much of that time to rein in the regime's most aggressive impulses out of concern for China's own security. Kim could, however, indicate to Xi that he is moving closer to Putin, forcing the Chinese leader to offer something else to retain a degree of influence. And Pyongyang seems to have reaped clear economic benefits from its security and trade ties with Moscow. The Bank of Korea (BOK), the central bank in Seoul, reported on August 29 that the North Korean economy expanded by 3.7% in 2024, the fastest growth in eight years. Exports rose 10.8%, with the mining and manufacturing sectors seeing the largest growth, fueled by "expanded cooperation with Russia," the BOK said.