(Dan Tri) – Kremlin officials revealed the reason Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not shake hands during their recent meeting in Beijing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing on February 4 (Photo: AP).
Vladimir Kitayev, Head of the Kremlin’s Protocol Department, said on February 6 that the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping did not shake hands during the meeting in Beijing was due to a request from the Chinese side.
`Of course, this is an issue that has been discussed and agreed upon in advance. Our Chinese colleagues suggested limiting handshakes. We realize that this is not a matter of concern and have agreed. General
`There is no political issue here. It is just an effort to avoid all risks caused by Covid-19,` Mr. Kitayev emphasized.
According to Kremlin officials, such rituals are quite common in the context of a pandemic.
`When former German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Russia last August, her protocol department also suggested refusing to shake hands. Instead, we chose to give her flowers,` Mr. Kitayev revealed.
When asked what the leaders thought about such a protocol, Mr. Kitayev said he would not speak for the leaders.
This is Mr. Xi Jinping’s first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader in more than 2 years, because he has not left China since January 2020 when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out.
In a statement released after their meeting on February 4 in Beijing, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin criticized the US for its `negative impact` on regional peace and security.
The meeting between the two leaders of Russia and China strongly demonstrated bilateral cohesion, as both countries face increasing pressure from the West over the Ukraine crisis and other issues.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the talks with the Russian President were `in depth and substantive`, in a `warm and friendly` atmosphere.
Mr. Putin also announced a new agreement to supply an additional 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to China through a new pipeline from the Far East region.
President Putin arrived in the Chinese capital to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Beijing Olympics was `overshadowed` by the US-led diplomatic boycott due to the Xinjiang issue.
Nick John