This is a big week for Xi Jinping. Beijing is putting on its grandest military parade in years, inviting over two dozen world leaders from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This is not just about Xi, it’s also about who’s standing by his side. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are both in Beijing, seated as guests of honor at China’s grand military parade. The symbolism could not be louder: Russia, China, and North Korea, three powers challenging the U.S.-led order, appearing shoulder to shoulder as fighter jets roar overhead and tanks roll through Tiananmen Square. Xi wants to show that China is not isolated, that his circle of allies is growing, and that an alternative world order is already taking shape. But beneath the spectacle lies fragility. Russia is stuck in a grinding war, North Korea faces sanctions and famine, and China itself is battling an economic slowdown and military corruption. Is this really a show of strength, or a desperate performance to mask weakness? And what message are Putin and Kim sending by standing with Xi?