The leaders of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran who appeared together at a Beijing military parade formed an “autocratic alliance” challenging the rules-based order, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday.
“While Western leaders gather in diplomacy, an autocratic alliance is seeking a fast track to a new world order,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels. “Looking at President Xi standing alongside the leaders of Russia, Iran and North Korea in Beijing today, these aren’t just anti-Western optics: This is a direct challenge to the international system built on rules.”
Xi projects power in Beijing
The comments came as Chinese President Xi Jinping stood flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Tiananmen Square for a showpiece military parade. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was also present, joining more than 25 world leaders at the commemoration of Japan’s surrender in World War II.
Xi warned that humanity faced a choice between “peace or war, dialogue or confrontation” as he oversaw displays of hypersonic missiles, underwater drones and fighter jets. The parade featured tens of thousands of troops in a spectacle that China framed as a symbol of global solidarity with the developing world.
Iran joins sanctioned leaders on stage
For Iran, Pezeshkian’s attendance highlighted its growing alignment with Beijing and Moscow. His presence followed months of speculation after he did not appear at Russia’s Victory Day parade in May, despite Tehran’s deepening security and energy ties with Moscow. The absence then sparked domestic debate in Iran over how its relationship with Russia was being perceived.
Iranian officials have stressed they are seeking to use “every diplomatic capacity” in the East to ease pressure from sanctions and revive leverage in nuclear talks. Standing alongside Xi, Putin and Kim placed Pezeshkian visibly within a bloc of leaders under Western sanctions.
Trump reacts as Kremlin plays down
US President Donald Trump, who was not at the parade, wrote on social media: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.” The Kremlin rejected the idea, saying Putin was not conspiring against Washington.
