Trump says Putin and Xi ‘were hoping I was watching’ China military parade

President Trump said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping “were hoping I was watching” their joint appearance at a large military parade in Beijing.

“I thought it was very very impressive, but I understood the reason they were doing it. And they were hoping I was watching — and I was watching,” Trump said, noting the strategy behind China’s military showboating. 

China hosted leaders from several fellow US adversaries for the parade, showing off Beijing’s massive military might to the world.

Asked whether he was invited to attend the lavish ceremony, Trump said he would not have attended even if he had been.

“It wouldn’t have been my place,” the president said.

The Chinese military parade marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II — and featured chummy interactions between Putin, Xi and client leaders such as North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Hours earlier, Trump complained that Xi had failed to mention in a Tuesday night speech that the United States fought valiantly in World War II to secure Japan’s surrender.

“Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP,” he said in his sign-off on the post.

“I watched [Xi’s] speech last night,” Trump went on. “President Xi is a friend of mine, but I thought that the United States should have been mentioned last night during that speech, because we helped China very much.”