China has invited Russian troops to march in a parade in Beijing in September to commemorate the end of World War II, the Chinese Ministry of Defense said yesterday, a move likely to further put off Western leaders from attending.
China has been coy about which nations it plans to invite to the parade, but said it would likely invite representatives from the Western allies who fought with China during the war.
However, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) could be left standing with few top Western officials due to Western governments concerns over a range of issues, including the expected presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, diplomats said.
Photo: Reuters
Xi on Saturday attended a parade in Moscow to mark 70 years since the end of the war in Europe.
A Chinese Ministry of Defense statement said that Chinese Central Military Commission deputy chairman Fan Changlong (范長龍) told Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu that China “warmly welcomes Russian military leaders and army formations” to take part in the September events in Beijing.
Xi’s visit to Russia and appearance at the Moscow commemorations “pushed the China-Russia all-round strategic partnership relationship to a new level,” Fan added, according to the statement.
Western leaders boycotted the Moscow parade over Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis.
The Beijing parade, which is likely see troops marching through Tiananmen Square, is to be Xi’s first since he took over as Chinese Communist Party leader and military chief in late 2012 and as state president in early 2013.
Sino-Japan relations have long been poisoned by what China sees as Japan’s failure to atone for its occupation of parts of the nation before and during the war, and Beijing rarely misses an opportunity to remind its people and the world of this.
Last month, US President Barack Obama’s top Asia adviser, Evan Medeiros, said that he had questions about whether a large military parade would really send a signal of reconciliation or promote healing, drawing a rebuke from China.
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is