BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held bilateral talks in Beijing on the eve of a major military parade. Their meeting highlighted the strong strategic alliance between the two nations amidst global tensions.

Putin said that relations between the countries were at an “unprecedented level,” while Xi affirmed their shared goal to build a “more just and reasonable global governance system.” The talks come ahead of a military parade on Wednesday, which will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

This display of unity is seen as a counter to the West. The leaders’ discussions followed a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and come as President Xi seeks to elevate China’s diplomatic influence while US President Donald Trump’s policies have disrupted global economic ties.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also arrived to attend the parade, in what will be his first multilateral international meeting.

Kim has supplied both weapons and troops to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an effort that Beijing has not condemned.