World
How Chinese President Xi greeted Blinken and previous US secretaries of state
The meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken was organized in an unprecedented diplomatic protocol to emphasize China's intention to engage in dialogue from a strong position.
The location of the meeting participants was supposed to demonstrate the dominant power of the Chinese leader. Chinese President Xi Jinping sat at the head of the oval table, and the members of the Chinese and US delegations sat across from each other on the sides of the table. Thus, the leader of the People's Republic of China created a mise-en-scène showing his superior power.
The seating arrangement was completely different during the previous visits of the US secretaries of state to Beijing. In particular, during the meeting held in 2018, Michael Pompeo and Xi Jinping sat side by side across the table.
