Vladimir Putin was displaying “visible tension” during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier today, a body language expert has claimed.
The Russian President’s visit to Beijing comes as his armed forces embark on an aggressive offensive in Ukraine. Putin expressed gratitude towards Xi for China’s proposed plans to resolve the war.
These plans have been dismissed by Ukraine and its Western allies as they echo the Kremlin’s stance. Xi’s China is widely considered one of Russia’s strongest allies and significant trade partner.
However, a body language expert’s analysis perhaps suggests relations between Putin and Xi may not be as solid as they seem.
During the two Presidents’ exchanges, Judi James noticed that there was distinct “visible tension,” predominantly from Putin’s side, as Xi came across as a hospitable host.
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Speaking to the Mirror, Judi claimed: “There’s clearly an attempt to register unity here, with most of the effort appearing to come from Putin while Xi adopts the more polite smiles and welcoming behaviour of a good host.”
This visit was aimed at emphasising the alliance between the two nations, who each face complications in their rapport with the US and Europe.
Although Putin and Xi stated they were seeking to end the war, they provided no fresh proposals in their public comments, reports the Mirror.
In a grand display of diplomatic theatre at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping declared: “China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this.”
Despite China’s claims of neutrality in the Ukraine conflict, it has echoed Russia’s narrative that Moscow was forced into action, while also providing components for Russian weapons manufacturing.
Earlier, Putin received a ceremonious welcome in Tiananmen Square, complete with military fanfare and booming cannons.
Prior to his arrival, Putin expressed optimism about China’s peace proposal, stating it could “lay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russia’s security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.”
Body language expert Judi James weighed in on the leaders’ interactions, observing: “There is some tension visible from Putin with his one hand that seems to be balled into a fist, while his projected signals tend to be all about cheek-rounding mouth smiles and crinkled eye-smiles to suggest high levels of desired bonhomie here.”
She further analysed Xi’s greeting, saying: “Xi’s handshake involves his torso facing front toward the camera and his right hand extended to the side, making Putin look rather lower in status for this pose but Putin’s dimpled smile suggests he’s happy to be seen clenching hands with the Chinese leader here.”
China, which has refrained from criticising Russia’s invasion, put forward a peace proposal in 2023 that broadly called for a cease-fire and direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. However, the plan was swiftly dismissed by Ukraine and Western nations for not demanding Russian forces withdraw from occupied Ukrainian territories.
In a move seen as aligning with Russia’s controversial narrative, China joined Russia in a statement on Thursday to defend the post-World War II order and “severely condemn the glorification of or even attempts to revive Nazism and militarism.”
President Putin has repeatedly justified the military offensive by claiming the need for “denazification” of Ukraine, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Jewish heritage and his family’s history during the Holocaust, painting the Ukrainian government as neo-Nazisa claim widely dismissed as false.
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