Overview

• Kim Jong Un reached Beijing by armored train and was received at the station by senior Chinese officials including Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to state media.
• The Wednesday parade in Tiananmen will mark 80 years since World War II’s end, showcase advanced weapons and flyovers, and feature tightened security across the capital with more than two dozen leaders attending.
• North Korean media reported Kim toured a solid‑fuel ICBM engine institute before departure, highlighting work on a next‑generation Hwasong‑20 missile.
• At the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, Xi Jinping urged opposition to a “Cold War mentality” as leaders advanced a multipolar vision, while a joint declaration called to guarantee Middle East peace and humanitarian access in Gaza but avoided taking a position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Analysts say the public convergence of Xi, Vladimir Putin and Kim at the parade signals tightening political and security alignment viewed in the West as a challenge to U.S. influence.