World leaders joined China’s military parade in show of solidarity with Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, and foreign leaders (Shen Hong/Xinhua News Agency/AP)

The leaders of 26 countries and other foreign representatives joined Chinese President Xi Jinping to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with a military parade in the Chinese capital on Wednesday, in a show of solidarity among nations friendly to Beijing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who made a rare foreign trip to attend, flanked Mr Xi as they climbed to the viewing platform overlooking Tiananmen Square and watched the display of military hardware and marching troops.