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No clear signs of Russian support for Xi
What’s less clear is how willing Russians are to embrace cultural ties to China. Russian social media isn’t as closed off as China’s, nor does it have the same level of state control (although that is rapidly increasing). Russians still use Western social media like Instagram heavily.
But on Russian social media such as VK and Telegram, Xi Jinping is not as obviously popular as Putin is on Chinese social media.
Xi’s online reputation on Russian social media is slightly better than in the West — with far fewer Winnie the Pooh mentions — but still pretty bland. One of the first groups that comes up when searching for Xi on VK is “Is Xi Jinping dead?”
This may be due in part to Putin’s long-standing efforts to create a cult of personality to support his rule, while Xi, by contrast, strives to keep his true personality as low-key as possible to better reflect the will of the party. This is no simple meme.
As for China, although its image in Russia is more positive than on Western social media, it is still seen as the “other.” Even when supporting Sino-Russian relations, Russian far-right philosopher Alexander Dugin said that China and Russia are two completely different cultures, and he is not the only one who feels this way.
Russia’s awkward acceptance of its Asian roots dates back to the Tsarist era. It’s a psychologically difficult transition. The war with Ukraine may finally drive cultural change. China seems ready — but only if you believe what they say.
Evan Freidin is an international relations analyst. First appearance On the Lowy Institute blog, The Interpreter.
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