Smiles and Waves: What Xi Jinping Took Away From Moscow

Smiles and Waves: What Xi Jinping Took Away From Moscow
Posted by: Alexander Gabuev  |  Carnegie Moscow

Friday, May 29, 2015 |

The photographs of Putin and Comrade Xi sitting together at the Victory Day parade on May 9, as well as photos of Chinese soldier marching through Red Square, are the main symbolic takeaways of the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow. These are winning images for both leaders, especially for Vladimir Putin. The presence of a true world leader at a parade that was boycotted by the U.S. and its allies is an important demonstration of the fact that Russia is not internationally isolated (with all due respect to other guests, they don’t quite rise to the level of world leaders). That’s why Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were assigned best seats at the event. That’s why during his speech, Putin mentioned China’s important role in the war as well as plans for a reciprocal visit to a parade in Beijing.http://carnegie.ru/eurasiaoutlook/?fa=60248&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonva3NZKXonjHpfsX57uQsW6Sg38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YIERMV0aPyQAgobGp5I5FEIQ7XYTLB2t60MWA%3D%3D