""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."
""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."
Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin appeared together at Tiananmen Square for a large military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat. The display projected a united economic and security bloc intent on confronting perceived US-led imperialism and resisting sanctions and external pressures. The imagery aimed to communicate mutual support among the three autocratic regimes. Significant domestic and foreign-policy divergences and power imbalances suggest the partnership is likely pragmatic and tactical rather than fully cohesive. North Korea acts as a wildcard as Kim seeks reciprocity from Russia and greater autonomy from China.
Read at www.dw.com
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