The Russian president and his Chinese counterpart spent considerable time together after their formal talks at the SCO* summit in Tianjin. Xi Jinping, whom Vladimir Putin called a “dear friend”, hosted the Russian president at the tea table for informal dialogue. The tea ceremony was held at the personal residence of the Chinese president and was attended by top Putin aides. Later, the duo was seen taking a walk at the Zhongnanhai residence flanked by translators and other officials. While Putin was among more than 20 world leaders who attended the summit, only the Russian president was invited to Xi’s residence. n18oc_crux