Hello and welcome to the Battleground podcast with me Patrick Bishop and Saul David.

This week, as the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea attended a military

parade in Beijing and a show of strength to the West, a ceasefire in Ukraine seems as far away

as ever. The meeting was a typically bombastic affair with President Xi of China, declaring that

rejuvenation of the Chinese nation was unstoppable.

And the choice of venue was also a snub to the west, atop the rostrum of Tiananamin Square,

where in 1989 pro-democracy protesters were massacred in their hundreds.

The meeting itself was to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World

War when US, British, Chinese and Russian representatives signed the Japanese surrender document

on board the USS Missouri. It was remarkably the first time that Xi, Putin of Russia,

and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have appeared in public together. It was a pretty remarkable display,

wasn't it? So what did you make of it? Yeah, I mean, I found it pretty unedifying, to be honest,

Patrick. I mean, who did we have actually in this group? I mean, three men who allow no opposition

to their rule, all authoritarian rulers in the case of Putin, a man, responsible for

numerous war crimes, as we've mentioned many times before. And their attempt to portray a united

front of strong men leaders determined to overcome U.S. hegemony was clear to all, wasn't it?

She didn't mention America by name, but his implication was clear when he said,

today humanity is again faced with a choice of peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, and win-win

outcomes or zero-sum games. The Chinese people will stand firmly on the right side of history and on

the side of human progress, adhere to the path of peaceful

development, and join hands with the rest of the world. Well, in truth, China has now intention

of adhering to the path of peaceful development, as she put it, does it, Patrick? First of all,

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