North Korea's Kim poised to leave for China, stage set for meetings with Putin, Xi Jinping

Seoul, Sep 1 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is set leave for China on Monday, aboard his special armored train to attend a military parade in Beijing, with attention focusing on his first presence on the multilateral diplomatic stage and a possible three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Kim may have to leave Pyongyang as early as Monday to arrive in Beijing by Tuesday, given the train's travel time of about 20 to 24 hours, according to observers and government sources.

China is scheduled to hold a 70-minute military parade on Wednesday, showcasing its latest weaponry and troops marching in formation to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which it commemorates as victory over Japan.

Kim is more widely expected to use his forest-green train rather than Chammae-1, the private plane Kim reportedly used for long-distance domestic trips in his early years in office, due to the aircraft's old age.

Kim is expected to cross the North Korea-China border Monday night and stay at Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where he lodged during three of his previous four visits to China.

On Sunday, a day ahead of his highly anticipated departure, Kim visited a newly completed missile production line at a major munitions factory to inspect the country's missile production capacity and its prospects, state media reported.

Kim and Putin will be among state leaders from 26 foreign countries attending the military parade at Tiananmen Square on Wednesday, marking the reclusive North Korean leader's first appearance on the multilateral diplomatic stage.

It will be Kim's first time attending a multilateral diplomatic event since assuming power in late 2011, setting the stage for a possible three-way summit with Xi and Putin.

The last time a North Korean leader attended a Chinese military parade was in 1959, when Kim Il-sung, the current leader's grandfather and the national founder, did.

In the forthcoming parade, Kim will be seated on Xi's left, while Putin will be seated to the right of Xi, a Russian report has said, citing a Kremlin official.

Kim, Xi and Putin could also hold a trilateral summit on the sidelines, which, if held, would mark the first meeting of the leaders of the three countries with close ties dating back to the Cold War, since the end of the war.

Kim's forthcoming attendance at the Chinese event comes after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump expressed eagerness to resume diplomacy with Kim in their high-stakes summit in Washington last week.

Kim's rare presence at the military parade and a potential trilateral summit with Xi and Putin could signal that he is not interested in engaging in diplomacy with Seoul or Washington.

The military parade also comes as the US pushes to "modernise" its alliances, including with South Korea, in an effort to build a joint front to counter China's growing global influence.

With bilateral summits and the signing of a mutual defence treaty last year, Kim and Putin have deepened military ties, leading to Pyongyang's deployment of troops and weapons to support Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Kim's decision to attend the military parade suggests he aims to restore traditionally strong ties with China, which had been strained by Pyongyang's recent alignment with Moscow.

Experts assessed that North Korea appears to have chosen Kim's trip to China in anticipation of the Russia-Ukraine war's conclusion, which could shift Moscow's focus westward, away from Pyongyang, Yonhap news agency reported.

Some also suggest that Kim may have opted to attend the military parade to leverage North Korea's closer relations with China to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of a potential resumption of negotiations with the US.

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