Politics
PM Shehbaz among 26 world leaders attending China’s biggest military parade
BEIJING: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is among 26 world leaders in China to witness on Wednesday the country’s biggest-ever military parade, a show of strength staged by President Xi Jinping to underline Beijing’s growing power on the global stage.
China kicked off its largest-ever military parade on Wednesday, a show of its growing firepower and geopolitical clout as President Xi Jinping seeks to cast Beijing as the custodian of a post-U.S. international order.
Flanked by Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Xi was shown on television strolling up a red carpet to take his seat for the lavish event at Tiananmen Square to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War Two.
Wearing a suit in the style of those worn by former leader Mao Zedong, Xi earlier greeted around two dozen largely non-western leaders in attendance, including Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto, who made a surprise appearance despite widespread protests at home.
He was shown saying “Nice to meet you” and “Welcome to China” in English.
The highly choreographed “Victory Day” spectacle comes as US President Donald Trump’s “America First” stance and trade wars have strained Washington’s long-standing alliances.
Asked whether he sees the parade as a challenge to the United States on Tuesday, Trump said he didn’t and reiterated his “very good relationship” with Xi.
“China needs us much more than we need them,” he added.
More than 50,000 spectators at Tiananmen Square packed into stands in Tiananmen Square awaiting the 70-minute showcase of aerial displays, marching troops as well as cutting-edge military equipment such as hypersonic missiles, unmanned drones and outfitted tanks.
Major roads and schools have been closed in Beijing for the parade, the culmination of weeks of painstaking security preparations and midnight rehearsals.
Xi will review the troops lined up in formation before delivering a keynote speech atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Beijing, where a portrait of China’s late Chairman Mao Zedong overlooks Tiananmen Square.
Vision for new global order
Xi has described World War Two as a turning point in the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”, in which it overcame Japanese invasion and humiliation to emerge as a rising global power.
He is expected to emphasise China and Soviet Russia’s role in defeating fascism and defending the postwar international order in his address.
Earlier this week, Xi outlined his vision of a new global order at a regional security summit, urging unity against “hegemonism and power politics” – widely seen as a swipe at the United States and Trump’s tariffs on both allies and rivals.
Putin has already used the occasion to sign deeper energy deals with China, while the gathering offers Kim an opportunity to gain tacit backing for his sanctioned nuclear programme.
Kim, attending his first major multilateral event, is the first North Korean leader to join a Chinese military parade in 66 years.
His daughter Ju Ae, viewed by South Korean intelligence as his likely successor, is making her first international appearance after years of being seen alongside him at domestic events.
Authorities have left nothing to chance for the high-profile event.
Local governments across China have mobilised tens of thousands of volunteers and Communist Party members to maintain security and prevent unrest ahead of the parade, according to online recruitment notices.
“President Xi will use this opportunity to demonstrate that the military is firmly behind him,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised his country’s full backing for Russia’s war effort, calling it a “fraternal duty”, the country’s state media KCNA reported on Thursday.
The North Korean leader made the pledge during talks with President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where both leaders attended a grand military parade alongside China’s Xi Jinping.
Kim and Putin held a meeting on Wednesday on the sidelines of China’s celebrations to mark the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two in Beijing.
The pair joined Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive military parade, marking the first such gathering of the three countries’ leaders since the early days of the Cold War.
Kim’s Beijing trip gave him his first chance to meet Putin and Xi together, as well as mingle with more than two dozen other national leaders who attended the events.
State media photos showed Kim standing or walking with Putin and Xi side by side, smiling.
“Comrade Kim Jong Un and President Putin exchanged candid opinions on important international and regional issues,” KCNA said.
Putin “highly praised” North Korean soldiers fighting against Ukraine and said relations between the two countries were “special ones of trust, friendship and alliance”, according to KCNA.
North Korea has sent soldiers, artillery ammunition and missiles to Russia to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine.
South Korea’s intelligence agency estimated this week that some 2,000 North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia have been killed.
It believes North Korea plans to send another 6,000 troops, with about 1,000 combat soldiers already in Russia.
Kim and Putin discussed in detail their long-term partnership plans and reaffirmed their “steadfast will” to strengthen bilateral relations, KCNA said.
Last year, the two leaders signed a mutual defence treaty, which calls for each side to assist the other in the event of an armed attack.
LISBON: At least 15 people were killed and 18 others injured on Wednesday when Lisbon’s Gloria funicular railway car, a popular tourist attraction and one of the city’s symbols, derailed and crashed, an emergency medical service spokesperson said.
Authorities did not identify the victims or disclose their nationalities, but confirmed that some foreign nationals were among the dead. Five people were reported to be gravely injured, the spokesperson added.
“It’s a tragic day for our city … Lisbon is in mourning, it is a tragic, tragic incident,” said Carlos Moedas, the mayor of the Portuguese capital.
Footage from the site showed the destroyed yellow tram-like funicular, which carries passengers up and down a steep hillside in Lisbon. Emergency workers were seen pulling people from the wreckage.
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa lamented the accident in a statement, expressing hope that authorities would soon determine the cause of the crash.
Police investigators inspected the site, while the prosecutor general’s office announced it would open a formal investigation, as is customary in public transport accidents.
The line, which opened in 1885, connects Lisbon’s downtown area near Restauradores Square with the Bairro Alto (Upper Quarter), known for its vibrant nightlife.
It is one of three funicular lines operated by the municipal public transport company Carris, serving both tourists and local residents.
Carris said in a statement that “all maintenance protocols have been carried out”, including monthly and weekly programmes and daily inspections.
The Gloria line transports around 3 million passengers annually, according to Lisbon’s town hall.
Its two cars, each capable of carrying about 40 passengers, are attached to opposite ends of a haulage cable, with traction provided by electric motors on both cars.
The car at the bottom of the line was apparently undamaged, but video aired by CNN Portugal showed it jolting violently when the other one derailed, with several passengers jumping out of its windows and people shouting.
Portugal, and Lisbon in particular, has experienced a tourism boom in the past decade, with visitors crowding the popular downtown area during the summer months.
US President Donald Trump hinted Wednesday at fresh Russia sanctions if it fails to end its Ukraine war, saying “you’ll see things happen” if he’s dissatisfied with President Vladimir Putin’s response.
Trump will also speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, a White House official told AFP, after the Zelensky and European leaders said earlier that they expected a call.
“I have no message to President Putin, he knows where I stand, and he’ll make a decision one way or the other,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
“Whatever his decision is, we’ll either be happy about it or unhappy. And if we’re unhappy about it, you’ll see things happen.”
Trump’s comments came as Putin — who attended a huge military parade in Beijing with Xi Jinping of China and Kim Jong Un of North Korea — vowed to carry on fighting in Ukraine if a peace deal cannot be reached.
The US president’s diplomatic efforts to secure a peace deal appear to have stalled.
Putin has shown little inclination to agree to a two-way meeting that Trump said he was arranging between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Trump meanwhile has remained vague on what he will do if Putin fails to play ball.
But Trump rejected suggestions that he was soft on Moscow — citing recent secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil, and indicating that more could be on the table.
“You call that no action? And I haven’t done phase two and phase three yet,” added Trump, without elaborating.
Trump is now set to speak to Zelensky and European leaders on Thursday.
“I’m having a conversation with him very shortly and I’ll know pretty much what we’re going to be doing,” Trump said in response to a question from an AFP reporter.
A White House official later told AFP: “President Trump was referring to Zelensky. They will be speaking tomorrow.”
The Paris gathering will be held in a mixed format, some leaders attending in person and others via video link. The summit will be followed by phone talks with Trump, to begin at 1200 GMT, and a 1300 GMT press conference, the French presidency said.
Zelensky said earlier Wednesday that he hoped to push Trump for new sanctions.
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