Behind Putin and Xi's embrace, Russia is junior partner, analysts say

LONDON - Chinese President Xi Jinping is not known for public displays of affection.

So Xi's double embrace of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, last week - broadcast by Chinese and Russian state television - was widely seen as a calculated signal to the world of a blossoming personal and geopolitical relationship.

Putin's visit to China underlined burgeoning economic ties between Moscow and Beijing