Putin's moment with Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan

The Russian President set tongues wagging when he put his coat over the shoulders of Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife

Russian President Vladimir Putin's act of chivalry during the opening dinner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit of world leaders in Beijing made international headlines. A video broadcast by the official China Central Television captured the whole incident (see below).
 

The Washington Post describing Putin as “famous for his iron-pumping, horse-riding, tiger-hunting ways and his affinity for being photographed sans shirt with buff pectorals pecs prominently glistening,” provides every detail of the incident, saying “it was [a] move that oozed smooth, though skirting dangerously close to flirtatious.”

While President Xi was deep in conversation with President Obama, Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan seated next to Putin exchanged a few words with him. It was not clear what she told him, but as the The Post puts it “Something to do, one guesses, with how cold the room was.” Being the chivalrous man that he is, Putin stands up and drapes his coat over the First Lady’s shoulders, but a few seconds later, Ms Peng hands the coat to an attendant and slips on her own. 

The incident quickly went viral on Weibo and other social media, The Post reports. However, The Straits Times mentions that China' s state media pulled the video off from social media sites and other websites on the Internet. Apparently, the incident has been termed ‘Coatgate.’

Foreign Policy states that China wishes to project a squeaky clean image of its leaders to the world during this summit. It mentions that the names of top Chinese leaders are some of the most heavily censored names on China’s social media. “In addition, the sweeping anti-corruption campaign Xi himself directs specifically targets infidelity as both a sign and a symptom of graft,” it adds. 

The Post adds that this wasn’t the first time that Putin has displayed affection for Ms Peng, “Last year, he gave her a bouquet of flowers and a cheeky grin at a China-Russia summit.”

“China and Russia have been eager to showcase their increasingly close military and economic ties, especially to frustration of the United States. But Monday night was perhaps a little bit too close,” The Post reports.