Who Doesn't Love a Big Parade: Is Your Country Taking Part in Beijing?

So, is your country coming to the big parade to revel in the pomp? China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has gone the way of egocentric, spoiled child and invited basically everyone in the world to the party (except you and me, of course). Expect baijiu to flow through the streets by 6pm Thursday.

The list of invitees and 30 confirmed leaders is mainly notable for its absences: no Western country has sent a head of state and a number of China's nearest and dearest in the South China Sea (Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia) have also decided to stay away. We wonder why.

But have no fear, there'll be plenty of official-looking stand-ins a la the Olympic "cheer squads," we're sure, and North Korea's representative may need at least three seats if their title of (deep breath) Member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK is anything to go by.

As of last week, the following guests were scheduled to be here:
 

Foreign leaders:

Algeria: Abdelkader Bensalah, Representative of the President and President of the Council
Argentina: Amado Boudu, Representative of the President, Vice President and Senate President
Belarus: President Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Chairman Dragan Čović
Cambodia: King Norodom Sihamoni
Cuba: Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, First Vice President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers  
Czech Republic: President Miloš Zeman
Democratic Republic of Congo: President Joseph Kabila Kabange
Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Choe Ryong Hae, Member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK
East Timor: President Taur Matan Ruak
Egypt: President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi
Ethiopia: Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
Kazakhstan: President Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev
Kyrgyzstan: President Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev
Laos: President Choummaly Sayasone
Mongolia: President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
Myanmar: President U Thein Sein
Pakistan: President Mamnoon Hussain
Poland: Parliament Speaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska
Republic of Korea: President Park Geun-hye
Russia: President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Serbia: President Tomislav Nikolić
South Africa: President Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma
Sudan: President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Tajikistan: President Emomali Rahmon
Thailand: Prawit Wongsuwon, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister
Uzbekistan: President Islam Karimov
Vanuatu: Prime Minister Sato Kilman
Venezuela: President Nicolas Maduro
Vietnam: President Truong Tan Sang
 

Government representatives:

Australia:Michael Ronaldson, Representative of the Government and Minister of Department of Veterans Affairs
Brazil: Jaques Wagner, Presidential Representative and Defense Minister
France: Laurent Fabius, Representative of the Government and Foreign Minister
Hungary: Peter Szijjarto, Representative of the Government and Foreign Minister
India: V. K. Singh, Representative of the Government and Minister of State for External Affairs
Italy: Paolo Gentiloni, Representative of the Government and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
Libya: Mohamed Dayri, Representative of the Government and Foreign Minister
Malaysia: Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, Special Envoy of the Government and Prime Minister's Special Envoy to China
Netherlands: Nout Wellink, Special Envoy of the Government and State Secretary
Tunisia: Ferhat Horchani, Presidential Representative and Defense Minister
New Zealand: Don McKinnon, Special Envoy of Prime Minister and former Deputy Prime Minister
Singapore: Wong Kan Seng, Special Envoy of the Government and former Deputy Prime Minister
United Kingdom: Kenneth Clarke, Special Envoy of Prime Minister and former Justice Minister

In addition, the Ministry says China-based envoys from Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Papua New Guinea, the United States, and the European Union will be present.

Some former politicos will be on hand as well, according to the Ministry, including:

East Timor: former President José Manuel Ramos-Horta
Germany: former Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder
Japan: former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama
Philippines: former President and Mayor of Manila Joseph Estrada
San Marino: former Captain Regent Gianfranco Terenzi
United Kingdom: former Prime Minister Tony Blair
 

With that lineup it's sure to be quite the event and we'll be sorely disappointed if we come out the other side without having seen at least a few of these respectable world leaders stumbling through the streets arm-in-arm, squabbling as to who will pick up the bill.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tomarnstein@thebeijinger.com
WeChat: tenglish_
Instagram: @tenglish__

Photo: sinaimg.cn