00:17A handshake lasting just seconds is now triggering a global debate online.
00:24Did Chinese President Xi Jinping subtly dominate Donald Trump in Beijing while treating Russian
00:32President Vladimir Putin as an equal?
00:35That's the explosive claim going viral after side-by-side clips compared Xi's recent
00:42handshakes with Trump and Putin during high-level diplomatic meetings.
00:46In the now-viral Beijing footage, Xi is seen placing his hand above Trump's during a
00:54prolonged handshake inside the Great Hall of the People.
00:58Body language analysts quickly jumped in.
01:02Many claimed Xi's palm-on-top position was a classic dominance signal, a subtle way of
01:09showing control and authority during a carefully staged diplomatic moment.
01:14What made the moment even more striking?
01:17Trump, famous for his aggressive pull-and-grab handshake style, appeared unusually restrained.
01:25No forceful yank.
01:26No overpowering grip.
01:29Instead, Trump added repeated pats on Xi's arm and shoulder, something experts say can
01:35signal warmth, but also an attempt to regain control in awkward power dynamics.
01:41Then came the comparison with Putin.
01:44In separate footage, Xi and Putin's handshake appeared far more balanced, hands level, grips
01:51even, body posture relaxed.
01:54Online users immediately declared, Xi dominated Trump, but respected Putin.
02:01Online, social media exploded with claims that the Beijing summit exposed a dramatic shift
02:08shift in global power optics.
02:10Some users mocked Trump's body language, while others argued Xi deliberately staged the moment
02:16to project strength before cameras.
02:20Experts say handshakes between world leaders are rarely accidental.
02:24Every grip, every pull, every shoulder pat can become part of diplomatic theater.
02:31And Trump himself has long used handshakes as political performance, famously pulling leaders
02:38closer, gripping tightly, and trying to project dominance.
02:42But in Beijing, many analysts believe Xi flipped the script.
02:47Still, experts warn against reading too much into viral body language clips.
02:53Handshake analysis is not exact science.
02:57Protocol, camera angles, cultural norms, and host country dynamics all play a role.
03:04Xi, as host in China, naturally controlled positioning during the summit.
03:09And despite the internet frenzy, real geopolitical power is decided through negotiations, trade deals,
03:17military influence, and alliances, not just hand placement.
03:22But online, the optics war may already have a winner, because for millions watching those clips,
03:29the Xi-Trump handshake looked very different from the Xi-Putin one, and the internet noticed immediately.
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