By Shannon Tiezzi
China and Russia emphasized their common vision (of both history and the future) during the Victory Day celebrations.
On May 9, tanks, troops, missile launchers, and even cavalry filled Moscow’s Red Square, in what RT called the largest military parade in Russian or Soviet history since World War II. The grand parade, complete with bombers and fighter jets flying overhead, was held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Germany’s surrender to the Allied powers. Watching the event alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin was China’s president, Xi Jinping. With Western leaders from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States choosing not to attend, Xi and Putin’s solidarity was a clear sign of Russia and China’s growing convergence.
However, Xi was far from the only foreign leader in attendance. As Katie Putz noted forThe Diplomat, top leaders from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan were all present , as were the presidents of India and Vietnam. The parade itself was also international, with soldiers from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, India, Mongolia, Serbia, and China all taking part.
Still, Xi was clearly the guest of honor. He and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were seated to Putin’s right during the parade. Putin also made a point of particularly noting China’s contributions to the war effort. In a speech at the parade, Putin noted that China was “the main front in the fight against militarism in Asia.” China, Putin said, “just like the Soviet Union, lost many millions of people in this war.”
As expected, Putin also confirmed his plans to attend China’s own end-of-WWII military parade, to be held September 3 in Beijing.
Read the full story at The Diplomat