North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s coming visit to China – his first in over six years – for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II could reinvigorate Beijing-Pyongyang ties and signal a broader strategic realignment, according to observers.

For the first time, Kim willappear alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, in what analysts said would be a rare show of unity and a calculated act of defiance against US-led pressure.

China’s foreign ministry and North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency confirmed the visit on Thursday, but neither disclosed the trip’s duration or itinerary.

Assistant foreign minister Hong Lei said Beijing “warmly welcomes” Kim’s attendance, noting that this year also marked 80 years since the end of Japanese colonial rule on the Korean peninsula.

Kim will be among 26 foreign leaders attending the parade, along with dignitaries from Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Belarus, Iran, Serbia, Slovakia and Central Asian nations.

It will be Kim’s first time taking part in a multilateral event alongside other heads of state, according to Lu Chao, an expert on northeast Asian affairs and professor of international relations at Liaoning University.

“Kim’s visit and his scheduled meetings with Chinese leaders highlight a mutual commitment to reaffirming and strengtheningChina-North Korea relations,” Lu said.