I’ve occasionally run across photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping, and even when he’s smiling, he’s usually not really smiling.
Just sort of ‘half-heartedly’ smiling. By which I mean, not showing his teeth.
The kind of smiles we give each other over here in America are real smiles. We show our teeth.
But so many photo of Xi, where the smile seems… perfunctory?
Like in this photo:
This is the kind of smile you might give a friend who’s trying to tell a joke and screwing it up.
When you’re in control of the world’s most populous country, it would seem like you would be in good spirits, even when someone can’t tell a joke.
I’ve come across a lot of photos of Xi, “not really smiling”.
Even if he’s making a toast, with a big glass of wine in his hand.
A big glass of wine.
Man, if I were holding a glass of wine in my hand, that big, I would definitely be showing my teeth.
Even when Xi is sharing a toast with the U.S. President, he doesn’t show his teeth.
Apparently, President Biden prefers apple juice.
But I don’t consider that an excuse for not smiling.
And even if he’s with a U.S. President who knows how to tell a funny story…
Okay, maybe the joke wasn’t that funny.
But it turns out that President Xi does, in fact, know how to really enjoy himself.
Around the right people, he can display an honest-to-goodness smile.
Back in 2019, President Xi celebrated his 66th birthday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Xi reportedly considers a close friend.
According to Chinese state media, Putin gave Xi a gift of ice cream.
Was it the ice cream? That made him smile, finally?
Who knows.
But it could also be, sharing champagne with the type of friend who doesn’t shoot down his weather balloons.