Putin, Kim Jong Un to attend military parade in Beijing next week: China

Foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will attend a massive military parade in Beijing marking the formal surrender of Japan during World War II, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Attending the parade will be 26 foreign heads of state and government, Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said at a news conference.

Also attending will be Belarus's President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iran's President Masoud Pezashkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.

China's "Victory Day" parade on September 3 is set to be a major projection of China's growing military might and show of diplomatic solidarity between China, Russia and the Global South.

On the day, President Xi Jinping will survey tens of thousands of troops at Tiananmen Square alongside the foreign dignitaries and senior Chinese leaders.

The highly choreographed military parade, expected to be one of China's largest in years, will showcase cutting-edge equipment like fighter jets, missile defence systems and hypersonic weapons.