North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on September 2 to attend a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the global fight against fascism. This marks his fifth visit to China and his first in six years and eight months since January 2019.

Kim arrived at Beijing Railway Station at 4 p.m. aboard his private armored train, Taeyang-ho. The train had departed Pyongyang the previous afternoon and crossed the North Korea–China border before 1 a.m. the same day, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party. It is unusual for North Korea to disclose a leader’s overseas trip so soon after departure. During his four prior visits to China, three in 2018 and one in 2019, Kim held summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but all were surprise visits.

At Beijing Railway Station, senior Chinese officials, including Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Secretariat (fifth in the party hierarchy), Wang Yi, head of the CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office and foreign minister, and Yin Yong, Beijing’s party secretary, welcomed Kim. Kim told the officials, “I am pleased to once again visit the People’s Republic of China after six years,” and expressed gratitude to Xi and the CCP, government, and people for their warm reception.

Kim’s trip marks his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage. So far, his only confirmed schedule is to attend the event at Tiananmen Square on September 3 commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. He is expected to stand atop Tiananmen Gate alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Attention is now focused on whether Kim will also hold a summit with Putin during the trip, in addition to his meeting with Xi. The Kremlin has said that, “depending on scheduling, it could directly discuss the possibility of a bilateral meeting with the North Korean delegation,” adding that the two leaders would be present together at the military parade and banquet. There is also speculation over whether Kim, Xi, and Putin might hold their first-ever trilateral summit. If realized, it would be the first North Korea–China–Russia summit since the end of the Cold War and could underscore their rivalry with the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. Earlier on the same day, Xi and Putin held talks and agreed to cooperate in creating a “fair global governance” system.

This year’s military parade will be the first since 2019, with 45 units marching across Tiananmen Square over the course of 70 minutes. China is expected to showcase advanced weapons, including those based on artificial intelligence, in a bid to demonstrate its influence as the hub of an anti-Western bloc.

From South Korea, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, the country’s second-highest-ranking official in the protocol order, will attend the parade.