North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set to visit China this week, a rare step beyond his country's borders, for prospective meetings with President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The trip could be Kim's bid to "formalise" his budding ties with Pyongyang's two main allies -- and potentially play a more prominent role on the international stage, experts say.

AFP takes a look at what we know about the visit:

Beijing is hosting a grand military parade this week to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Kim and Putin are among 26 heads of state slated to attend, marking the first time the two men have appeared alongside Xi at the same event.

Their presence "formalises the China-Russia-North Korea trilateral (relationship) to the public", Soo Kim, a geopolitical risk consultant and former CIA analyst, told AFP.

"What better way to send a visual message to the rest of the world, notably the US, Japan, and South Korea, that this is indeed the trilateral they are up against?" she said.

Nuclear-armed North Korea and Russia are traditional allies........

© International Business Times