A seat looking up at the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, perched at the head of a long table.
To international audiences, the optics of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s two-day visit to Beijing barely raised any eyebrows.
But to nationalist-leaning audiences in China, especially on social media, the scenes tell a different story.
And during his visit, he was schooled on respecting China’s interests and played supplicant to Mr. Xi.
Chinese social media users gleefully noted that Mr. Blinken arrived on Father’s Day, the implication being — using the parlance of the internet — that Mr. Xi was America’s daddy.
Persons:
Xi, Antony J, Blinken, supplicant
Locations:
Beijing, China