A new world order? What the Xi-Putin-Kim photograph in Beijing symbolises

It’s often said that pictures speak a thousand words. And this one emerging from China’s military parade could be speaking much more than a thousand words and perhaps, even signal a change in the world order.

We are talking about President Xi Jinping welcoming North Korea’s Kim Jong-un with a long handshake, then moving onto greet Russia’s Vladimir Putin before all three walked together to watch the parade.

This is the first time that the three leaders have been seen in public together and, as analysts noted, they really picked the right moment. The three watched as ranks of soldiers marched past Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, followed by the latest weaponry of the People’s Liberation Army.

We analyse what message this image is sending to the world, namely US President Donald Trump, who gave quite an acidic response on social media, writing on Truth Social: “Give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”

An unforgettable image

Ahead of the biggest military parade that China has seen, President Xi Jinping welcomed around 20 world leaders at the bottom of the Gate of Heavenly Peace before escorting them to the viewing platform.

Among the 20, the guests of honour were Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un. Xi, dressed in a grey Mao suit, welcomed both the leaders, and chatted with the pair as they walked down a red carpet towards Tiananmen Square, with Putin to Xi’s right and Kim to his left.

Later, Xi speaking from the top of the rostrum, said it was an occasion to honour history and to look forward to the future. He paid tribute to the veterans, comrades and patriots who contributed to the war victory as well as welcomed the world leaders attending the parade.

Further addressing the crowd, Xi said, “Today, mankind is faced with the choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win or zero-sum,” adding that the Chinese people “firmly stand on the right side of history”.

He further stated that China was “unstoppable” and called on nations across the world “to eliminate the root cause of war and prevent historical tragedies from recurring”.

Without naming the US, Xi also said that China was a great nation which “is never intimidated by any bullies”.

A picture that speaks louder than words

Many analysts believe that this image sends a clear message to the West.

Firstly, Beijing is telling the world that it will continue to stand by its allies, namely Russia and North Korea, no matter the sanctions that the West looks to impose on them. Wen-ti Sung, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, told The Guardian, “Beijing is sending a message … that even if western countries continue to sanction Russia over the Russia-Ukraine War, Beijing will not be afraid to stand by its friend.”

Through the image of the three leaders, China is also offering an alternative to the US-led order. President Xi has long sought to put himself at the centre of a new world order and this military parade and the image helps him to achieve this goal.

As Associate Professor of Chinese politics, Alfred Wu, told The Guardian, this was Xi “showcasing that he is strong” and that China now commands its own orbit of influence.

Even earlier, Xi demonstrated signs of a new world order at the recently-concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit hosted in Tianjin where we saw the leaders of China, Russia and India smiling together.

CNN summed it up perfectly: China’s gathering with Putin and Kim underscores the futile attempts of US President Donald Trump to subject the true global hard men to his art-of-the-deal charms and his claims that his supposedly close relationships with such leaders can be decisive.

Even BBC’s James Landale noted that the image would send shivers down Western diplomatic spines as China fills the vacuum left by America’s withdrawal from international norms and groupings.

For Xi, the image with Putin and Kim also shows that China is aligned with Russia and North Korea. Earlier, there was speculation that the alliance between Putin and Kim has irked Xi. However, the visuals showed that the trio were in lockstep.

Trump perturbed

And it seems that the images from the Chinese military parade has, in fact, irked US President Donald Trump. The American leader took to his social media, reminding Xi of the US’s role in defeating Japan 80 years ago. He further added, “May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un, as you conspire against The United States of America.”

Global political watchers noted that the image is a warning to Trump that his tariff tantrums, and ‘America First’ lessons may be backfiring. As Jackie SH Wong, an assistant professor of international studies at the American University of Sharjah, told CNN, “China is leveraging the missteps or mistakes that the US (is making).”

But it is not all doom and gloom. Many analysts downplayed the significance of the image in China. It’s left to be seen if this striking photo can turn into action, but the West will surely be looking at it with concern and alarm.

With inputs from agencies

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