Kalinka for Putin. China welcomes ally

Vladimir Putin started a four-day visit to China on Sunday, and “Kalinka” – 1 of the most recognizable Russian folk songs in the planet – was played at his welcome to Tiencin. This symbolic, friendly motion is part of a carefully directed spectacle to show the strength and proximity of the alliance of Moscow and Beijing. The culmination of the visit will be the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SHOW), a forum for a block of states positioning as an alternate to the West.