The images tell a lot about the message that they are trying to send. And Xi himself is not shying away when he took to the stage at the summit. He vowed to oppose “hegemonism” and “bullying practices” in international affairs, which is a jibe at the US for sure.
The summit is serving as a symbolic showcase for China and Russia to reaffirm to the world that they are still maintaining a close rapport. Video footage shows both Xi and Putin smiling and warming up to each other, as opposed to their typically more serious demeanour in general. It’s all for the cameras of course but if anything, it shows that both sides definitely know what kind of message they want to be sending to the US at this point in time.
