Who are world leaders attending China’s upcoming summit and military parade

Beijing will roll out the red carpet for more than two dozen world leaders at two major, defense -related events in the coming week. The guest lists, including remarkable omissions, are a window into China’s ambitions, alliances and continued attempts to expand its influence.

The two events are the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a group established by China and Russia in 2001 focusing on security in Central Asia and the wider region, and a massive military parade reminiscent of the 80th anniversary of the end of 2. World War, where China emerged victorious at its neighbor Japan.

High -profile guests to Chinese President Xi Jinping will include Russian and North Korean leaders as well as heads of state and government from most Southeast Asian and Central Asian nations.

But the guest lists of the SCO forum and the military parade do not fully overlap, reflecting Peking’s interests, loyalties and limitations between its neighbors and beyond.

Russia, India and Central Asia will be present at the SCO summit

World leaders will start pouring in for the SCO summit, held on Sunday and Monday in the port city of Tianjin, just southeast of Beijing. So Wednesday there will be a massive military parade in Beijing, marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender at the end of 2. World War.

The parade is set to show some of China’s most advanced homework weapons, including more than 100 aircraft and several tanks and missiles.

The guest list for the SCO summit includes leaders of the organization’s 10 Member States together with representatives from almost two dozen other countries, some of which may join the group at a later date.

SCO was established by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tadsjikistan and later expanded to include members such as India, Iran, Pakistan and Belarus. Afghanistan and Mongolia are observer states, and 14 other countries, mostly from Southeast Asia and the Middle East, act as “dialogue partners.” The country that hosts the annual summit rotates every year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Topes the List of Dignitarian attending the summit. Also participation is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly, whose countries are “dialogue partners” within SCO.

Some countries that are not SCO members will also be represented, mostly from Southeast Asia. These include Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Vietnam, who reflect China’s desire to strengthen his ties in the region.

Not everyone will stay in the military parade

Most high-level guests on the SCO forum and the military parade overlap, but there will be some notable departures and additions.

The leaders of India, Egypt and Turkey leave Beijing before the military show. Egypt will be represented by an official at a lower level. Like most Western countries and their allies, India and Turkey generally keep from posing with China’s top leaders by military parades that take place every few years.

Instead of joining XI and Putin to observe Chinese troops marrying in Lockstep on Chang’an Avenue, will be the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who will not have attended the previous SCO summit. This will be Kim’s first meeting with XI of more than six years, and his first occasion to get together with a group of world leaders since the recurring North Korean leader took office in late 2011.

Xi, Putin and Kim, who potentially sit together in the Tiananmen space, will create a trassing show of unity at a time when the West is increasingly frustrated with Russia’s war in Ukraine. Beijing, although on paper neutral in the conflict, has not condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and is accused of selling weapons components to Russia. Meanwhile, North Korea has sent troops to help the Russians in the war.

In addition, Myanmar’s Junta chief My Aung Hlaing, the country’s acting president in the wake of a military coup in 2021, will also participate in the military parade.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel as well as the leaders of the Democratic Republic Congo and Zimbabwe will also be there.

The only European heads of state participate in the parade but not the SCO summit will be Russian friendly Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

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