The darling of our right-wing, aggressive Russian autocrat Vladimir "Vlad the Invader" Putin, was seen at last night's fireworks at the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit draping a shawl over and generally flirting with China's first lady, Peng Liyuan. The move caused Chinese censors to cut the moment out, while Peng quickly removed the shawl and gave it to an assistant. Meanwhile, President Obama was chatting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping a few feet away.
Vlad has been moving Russia closer to China through a multi-billion dollar energy deal in an attempt to counter sanctions placed against him for his illegal invasion of Crimea and aggressive actions taken against Ukraine. His awkward attempt at gallantry (learned in the KGB, no doubt) struck a discordant note in China, which observes conservative norms between unrelated men and women. Putin might want to stick with what he does best: invading weaker countries, rather than trying to charm the wife of a foreign leader.
