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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend military parade in Beijing
It will be his first visit to neighbouring China for more than six years and offers a rare opportunity for bilateral talks with Xi Jinping
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Dewey Simin Beijing
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will travel to China to attend next week’s military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Beijing said on Thursday.
It will be the reclusive leader’s first visit to China for more than six years.
He will join Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin – key allies of isolated North Korea – at the event on September 3.
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They will be among an expected 26 world leaders at the parade, which will see thousands of goose-stepping soldiers in Tiananmen Square and some of the People’s Liberation Army’s latest military hardware on show.
Kim’s surprise attendance marks an upgrade by North Korea after it sent senior official Choe Ryong-hae to China’s last Victory Day parade a decade ago.
The event will offer a rare chance for a meeting between Xi and Kim, who have not met in person since 2019 when Kim visited Beijing and Xi went to Pyongyang.
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