U.S. President Donald Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping is conspiring with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un against the United States as the three leaders put up a united front at a Beijing military parade in what observers see as a show of strength defying the West.
“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to the Chinese leader and the leaders of Russia and North Korea.
President Trump’s statement was posted as Xi, Putin, and Kim arrived together to attend the huge military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II and China’s liberation from occupation.
Since President Trump upended trade and tariff policies earlier this year, China has tried to pitch itself as a reliable trade partner, especially in Asia, where many countries were slapped with high U.S. tariffs due to their high trade surplus with America.
The U.S. has singled out India, the world’s third-largest crude importer, as a target to pressure due to its continued purchases of Russian oil. After weeks of threats, the U.S. hiked from August 27 the tariff on imports of Indian goods to a massive 50%, with 25% of this due to India’s Russian oil purchases.
India continues to buy Russian crude oil and even thawed relations with China at a summit that culminated with Wednesday’s parade. China’s Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to be “partners, not rivals.”
Analysts see Xi’s latest diplomatic efforts with Eurasian countries as a way to counter the U.S.-dominated global order.
President Trump told the Scott Jennings radio show on Tuesday that he isn’t concerned about a Russia-China axis or China’s military might.
“They would never use their military on us — believe me, that would be the worst thing they could ever do,” President Trump said.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
