Attired in the traditional dress
of the host country - customary at
the annual APEC Summit, Russia President Putin is greeted
by the
first lady of China PengLiyuan and China President Xi Jingping.
Xi and Putin: United
in the Face of Western Critics (Le Figaro, France)
"According
to a survey by Touch Today, after the annexation of the Crimea in
March Putin's popularity ratings in China reached a level of 92 percent. ... Perhaps the Chinese are reassured to see
that 'Xi Dada' or the 'Xi the Great,' isn't the only great power leader to
worry the world. Like Putin, he is proficient in the cult of personality and
cultivates authoritarianism to rule with an iron rod. ... They are united in
their rejection of Western values advocating democracy, liberty and human
rights, and support each other in the face of critics of a world dead set against
the transgressions that result from their ambitions."
Kouzia, the Siberian tiger
reintroduced into its natural habitat by Vladimir Putin, is still running
around somewhere in the steppes of Mongolia. But in the Peoples Republic, Russia's
top cat has become a source of national interest since it crossed the Amour River [between Russia
and China]. Beijing is tracking it. A pariah in some parts of the world since
the Ukrainian conflict, Vladimir Putin arouses admiration in the People's
Republic, where everything surrounding him inspires curiosity. Arriving in
Beijing on Sunday for the APEC Summit, trade bloc of the Asia-Pacific, he and
the Chinese president form a dynamic duo.
The Russian president met China's number one for the tenth
time since the latter took office at the beginning of 2013 - much more than any
other head of state. For his part, Xi Jinping chose
Moscow last year for his first trip abroad as president. And it is again Russia
that had the honor of his first trip in 2014. His relationship with the Kremlin
chief is a priority. "I have the impression that we always treat each other
as friends and open-heartedly," Xi is said to have confided to Putin
during a meeting. "Our characters are similar."
Standing together in
the face of critics
Biographies devoted to "Putin the Great," as he is
nicknamed, are bestsellers in China. According to the Pew Research Center, the
People's Republic is one of the few countries in which support for Russia has risen
since Moscow's confrontation with the West over Ukraine, increasing from 47 percent
to 66 percent. According to a survey by Touch Today, a Web site belonging to the Tencent
Group, after the annexation of the Crimea in March Putin's popularity ratings
in China reached a level of 92 percent.
At an
entertainment event on the sidelines of the APEC
Summit, President
Obama is seated
next to China President Xi, Xi's wife PengLiyuan, and Russia
President Putin.
A few minutes earlier, Putin created a sensation by seeming
to make a pass at China's
first lady, when he put a coat around her shoulders.
"Putin's
personality is impressive, both as a man and a leader," stresses Zhao Huasheng, expert in Sino-Russian relations at Fudan University in Shanghai. "He defends the
interests of Russia. The Chinese are attracted by that."
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Perhaps the Chinese are reassured to see that "Xi Dada" or the "Xi the
Great," isn't the only great power leader to worry the world. Like Putin,
he is proficient in the cult of personality and cultivates authoritarianism to rule
with an iron rod. Both have nostalgia for the past "grandeur" of the
nations and wish to bring about their revival. They are united in their
rejection of Western values advocating democracy, liberty and human rights, and
support each other in the face of critics of a world dead set against the
transgressions that result from their ambitions.
China and Russia have drawn closer as the gap widened
between Moscow and Western nations. By commandeering Crimea, supporting separatist
rebels in Ukraine, suppressing homosexual "propaganda" or hounding its
opponents, Putin's regime has ruffled the United States and the countries of
the European Union - but not China. Regularly questioned by the West on human
rights, for its part, Beijing is at odds with its neighbors by reason of its
maritime ambitions and has again found itself under fire from critics for
having adopted laws to nip in the bud any opposition candidate for Hong Kong's 2017
elections.
PUTIN'S GALLANTRY CENSORED IN CHINA
