Xi Jinping uses summit, parade, and history to demonstrate China's global influence - NYT

This week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin joined Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a security summit in China. Modi was pushed to this step by tariffs from the United States, and the Russian president is trying to break out of international isolation, writes UNN with reference to New York Times.

China and Russia rapprochement

The summit with more than 20 leaders, mostly from Central Asia, followed by a military parade in Beijing showcasing China's newest missiles and military aircraft, is not just a spectacle. It shows how Xi Jinping is trying to turn history, diplomacy, and military might into tools to transform a world order dominated by the United States, the publication writes.

The success of Xi's foreign policy strategy is reflected in the parade of leaders traveling to China. Indeed, Xi today probably feels more besieged by visiting heads of state than surrounded by the United States and its allies and partners

On Wednesday, Xi will preside over a military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, portraying the conflict as a triumph led by the Communist Party. It is worth noting that many historians, however, believe that Chinese nationalists fought most of the battles.

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In his speeches, Xi tried to present World War II as a struggle in which China and the Soviet Union were decisive theaters of battle. This argument was echoed by Putin. The point is to shift claims of victory from the West to China and Russia. Not least because of the tens of millions of people in these countries who died.

Chinese officials also argued that Western allies ignored agreements made during and after the war that would have bolstered China's territorial claims to Taiwan.

This background explains the importance of military parades for Beijing and Moscow.

Beyond the martial splendor and visual reminders of these countries' contributions to the war effort, parades are part of a long-running "memory war." China and Russia offer a desired alternative history to the Western narrative of Allied victory

Until recently, Beijing's closeness to Moscow caused pressure from Washington. But that tension seems to have partly eased thanks to warming relations between the United States and Russia. President Trump himself lavishly praised Putin in Alaska this month, and later reiterated the Kremlin's position that Ukraine needs to cede territory to end the war.

Now, Xi seems vindicated for supporting Putin, and analysts say leaders will use the Tianjin summit to advance a vision of a world less dominated by the United States.

What to expect from India

Modi, who previously aligned with the United States during the Biden administration to counter Beijing, will visit China for the first time in seven years, attending the summit. However, he will not attend the military parade, unlike Mr. Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

In a meeting with Modi on Sunday, Xi said that China and India should be "partners, not rivals," and that they should offer "opportunities for each other's development, not threats," which could be read as a thinly veiled jab at Trump.

Xi also reiterated Beijing's position that disputes over the shared border should not define bilateral relations.

Being good neighbors and friends, partners who achieve mutual success, and realizing the "dragon and elephant dance" should be the right choice for both China and India

Modi echoed Xi's sentiment, stating that the two countries should not be "rivals," and that "peace and tranquility" in border areas are important for bilateral relations, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.

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The convergence of views between Putin and Modi in China, as well as leaders from dozens of other developing countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia, and Pakistan, contrasts with growing divisions within the US alliance with European and Asian countries.

Some of these cracks emerged this month when European leaders, who were not present at the peace talks, felt the need to rush to Washington to persuade Mr. Trump not to concede to Russian demands for peace terms in Ukraine.

Trump also again angered an ally last week when he praised Mr. Kim during an Oval Office meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

Blow to the US and its allies

Many US allies in Europe and Asia view China as a serious threat to fair trade, democracy, and regional stability. The last of these concerns will be highlighted by a military parade that is expected to feature new anti-ship missiles that could be deployed in a war over Taiwan.

However, analysts say these issues risk being overshadowed as Trump "disrupts" decades of American foreign policy.

Despite their concerns about China's behavior, some of these countries increasingly view the United States as a greater, if not the primary, destabilizing force in the international order

China has tried to use Washington's disarray to persuade countries like India to reconsider their relations with the United States.

At the same time, Beijing fears that Washington will pressure other countries to limit trade with China at a time when the Chinese economy is severely weakened by a real estate downturn and price wars.

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"Give a bully an inch, he'll take a mile," Xu Feihong, China's ambassador to India, wrote on X about US tariffs.

At a recent seminar in New Delhi, Mr. Xu stated that India and China have a responsibility to take on a greater role in global leadership to counter US "hegemony and power politics."

He called the neighbors "twin engines" of economic growth in Asia, using a phrase Modi often uses in domestic politics.

Russia, a country firmly in Beijing's camp, needs less convincing. Moscow uses groups like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to deepen ties with China, India, and other countries that have become increasingly important to its sanction-hit economy after Russian troops invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Russian oil will certainly feature in talks between Putin, Mr. Xi, and Mr. Modi. According to analysts, the Trump administration's tariffs on India for buying Russian crude oil allowed China to become an even larger buyer than it was before, without facing similar consequences as India.

Most of all, the summit and parade will allow Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi to reaffirm their close relationship, a partnership that the West has tried and largely failed to break.

China's relationship with Russia is likely to remain "excellent," said Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Chinese People's Liberation Army who is now studying at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Western attempts to drive a wedge, he added, were nothing more than "wishful thinking."

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