Final Word from Thursday, March 31, 2016

After Xi Jinping shakes off the ick from his Prague visit in a week or two, he'll sit down to ponder the value of the stopover: Was it worth it? The ick factor was indeed very high. None of the other sycophants he's encountered in such pre-colonial inspections across the globe ever dared to put their arm around him. Doesn't Miloš Zeman know what Confucius said about understanding one's rank in society? And that red sweater. No nazdar! True, Xi brought it partly on himself by referring to Zeman in Beijing as his old friend. But still, you would think Zeman would get the message when Xi just stood there like a pole, with his hands at his side. Yet there is also what Confucius said about collectivism. Xi took one for the team this time, and the reward in terms of strengthening China's geopolitical position should make it all worthwhile. What worries Xi most, though, is the public reaction. The Chinese haven't even done anything in the CR yet (unlike in Africa), and they're already treated with great suspicion. They'll have to work hard to reduce the ick factor felt by many Czechs. [Czech Republic China]