A “charismatic” leader with whom we must talk “whether we like it or not”: on the streets of Beijing today the Chinese people they have a rather positive opinion of Vladimir Putinwho is on an official visit to China.

Although public opinion in the West does not have a positive view of the Russian president, especially after the invasion of Ukraine, Putin he is respected in China, an important diplomatic and economic partner of his country.

Putin likes to cultivate an image of a man male which deals with sports and the Chinese media have been publishing for years flattering videos and pictures of the Russian president riding horses, fishing, piloting a plane, playing ice hockey or doing judo.

Combined with the image of an unyielding leader standing up to the West, these images have cultivated in China the image of a strong man.

Bilateral relations are good, she comments with satisfaction Linda Lee, a 45-year-old accountant, referring to the improvement in relations between China and Russia after the 1990s. “I don’t know much about politics. I don’t really care. Nevertheless I always thought Putin was very cool!“, declares.

“I think he inspires confidence and I get the impression that he likes sports,” comments the 30-year-old Keira Che who works in the financial sector. “He has charisma“, he adds.

She states that she hopes that Putin’s visit will allow bilateral economic relations to be strengthened. “For ordinary people, this is always the most important,” she emphasizes. “I hope he can improve it standard of living of the people”.

“Whether we like Putin or not, the reality is that today he is the Russian president. We have to have some respect and listen to what Russia has to say“, says 30-year-old Bao Bo, who works online.

He believes that it is necessary for Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss with his Russian counterpart in order to find a solution to end the war in Ukraine.

“The international situation is unstable” and “we cannot have, like the West, a permanently hostile attitude towards Russia” which remains an undisputed interlocutor because “it has nuclear weapons”, adds Bao Bo.

“Also there is the Palestinian one. I hope that China and Russia will manage to put some pressure on Israel, with which at the moment no one seems to be able to talk sense” about its military intervention in the Gaza Strip, he emphasizes.

“Very powerful”

Russia and China regularly coordinate at the UN, either to denounce what they call US hegemony in the world.

“Each of the two countries is capable of meeting the other’s needs in some areas,” points out 29-year-old Ian Wu, who works in the administration sector, to explain why the Chinese have a good opinion of Putin.

“It is his first visit abroad after his inauguration” on May 7 and “it is of great importance” because “it shows that the Sino-Russian friendship remains very strong”, he estimates.