BEIJING: Foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, will attend a massive military parade in Beijing marking 80 years since the formal surrender of Japan during World War II, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Attending the Sep 3 parade will be 26 foreign heads of state and government, alongside other dignitaries, Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said at a news conference on Thursday (Aug 28).
The guest list covers a raft of Southeast Asian leaders, including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong.
The foreign ministry also named Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong among the invited guests attending the parade. CNA has contacted Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to confirm his attendance.
Also attending will be Belarus’ President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Iran’s President Masoud Pezashkian and South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was notably absent from the announced list, despite speculation he might attend given his expected presence at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin just days earlier between Aug 31 and Sep 1.
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