For a moment, you could have mistaken Beijing for Moscow.
As Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping walked the red carpet towards the Great Hall of the People, a Chinese military band played the romantic Russian classic Moscow Nights.
If only you knew how these Moscow Nights are dear to me, goes the refrain.
Hidden in the notes, was there a hint of political romance? Even bromance...?
My dear friend, said Putin to Xi.
My old friend, said Xi to Putin.
It was the language of two leaders who like to show they've built a special relationship. They have had plenty of time to do so: they have met more than 40 times over the years.
In their public statements, they spoke of strategic cooperation between their nations, about partnership, mutual respect, friendship, and trust.
Together, they railed against the irresponsible nuclear policy of the United States and condemned Donald Trump's plan for a Golden Dome missile defense shield.
On the eve of the visit, the Russian government newspaper had published two big photos on its front page: one of a lonely-looking Trump climbing the steps of Air Force One at the end of his China trip last week; and beside it, an old image of Putin and Xi walking together.
The visual messaging was unmistakable: Russia and China are shoulder-to-shoulder on the world stage.
But this is not a world of love songs, romance, and bromance. This is geopolitics.
In the world of geopolitics, relationships are rarely based on love and affection. It's often self-interest.
At the Xi-Putin summit, it became clear that there are limits to the love.
Russia is keen to push ahead with plans for a new pipeline, Power of Siberia 2, and had hoped for progress in Beijing. The pipeline would bring additional volumes of Russian gas from Western Siberia to Northern China via Mongolia and, for Moscow, help make up for the loss of European markets.
Last year, Russia and China had signed a memorandum of understanding on the project, but Beijing appears in no rush to do the deal. As well as pricing issues, some commentators believe China wants to avoid over-dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin said that Russia and China had reached a general understanding on the parameters of the project.
But there's no sign of a final agreement.
Russian officials will be disappointed. But they won't be surprised.
The positions of Russia and China are not identical. Their interests do not always coincide, indicated the Russian government newspaper.
With two countries of this size, both with a great-power psyche, it couldn't be any other way.
This isn't the first time the term bromance has been floated in high-level relationships: once upon a time, it was applied to Putin-Trump when both countries appeared to be on the road to reconciliation.
After the two presidents met in Alaska last summer, it seemed to spark thoughts of a thaw in relations. But the war in Ukraine has changed that narrative.
Today, the spirit of Anchorage is in short supply, and as Putin’s aide said, the spirit of Beijing exists, but the spirit of Anchorage? I never used that phrase.\
