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Beyond bromance: Xi-Putin summit a nod to China’s superpower status
Russia is happy to play junior partner partly because it needs this relationship but also because it accepts the new world order.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping posing for photos before a tea ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ahead of his trip to China, Mr Vladimir Putin delivered a video address setting the tone for his visit, describing Russia-China relations as having “reached a truly unprecedented level”. Once he got there, the Russian President, who is usually polite and matter-of-fact, turned untypically lyrical.
“Not seeing you for one day feels like being apart for three autumns,” he told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in his speech, borrowing a Chinese proverb to emphasise his point about close bilateral ties which have seen the two meet more than 40 times as leaders of their respective nations.
