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Can You Tell Why This Image of Vladimir Putin Was Censored in China?
In this Nov. 10, 2014 file photo, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, right, puts a shawl on Peng Liyuan, second right, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, seated second left talking to U.S. President Barack Obama, left, as they arrive to watch a fireworks show after a welcome banquet for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing. It was a warm gesture on a chilly night when Vladimir Putin wrapped a shawl around the wife of Xi Jinping while the Chinese president chatted with Barack Obama. The only problem: Putin came off looking gallant, the Chinese summit host gauche and inattentive. (AP Photo, File)

Can You Tell Why This Image of Vladimir Putin Was Censored in China?

"Inappropriate"?

Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't just a horse-riding, tiger-wrangling modern-day Hercules.

He's also attentive to the needs of nearby ladies — and what he did on Monday was so bold, it was censored in China.

As President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat by, Putin made a "gallant" move during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Beijing: He noticed that Jinping's wife, Peng Liyuan, seemed cold, so he wrapped her in a tan shawl he had on hand.

In this Nov. 10, 2014 file photo, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, right, puts a shawl on Peng Liyuan, second right, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, seated second left talking to U.S. President Barack Obama, left, as they arrive to watch a fireworks show after a welcome banquet for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Beijing. It was a warm gesture on a chilly night when Vladimir Putin wrapped a shawl around the wife of Xi Jinping while the Chinese president chatted with Barack Obama. The only problem: Putin came off looking gallant, the Chinese summit host gauche and inattentive. (AP Photo, File) Russia's President Vladimir Putin puts a shawl on Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as Xi talks to President Barack Obama as they arrive to watch a fireworks show after a welcome banquet for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing. (AP Photo, File)

As Foreign Policy reported, Chinese censors scrubbed the moment from social media, since it made the Chinese president look "inattentive."

Watch the moment as it unfolded:

Was Putin hitting on the Chinese president's wife, or was he just being a good guy?

New York Times editor Rick Gladstone said the move looked, "more like Putin['s] chivalrous charm, not an inappropriate pass at Chinese host's wife, but still pretty wild."

It's worth noting that Putin finalized his divorce earlier this year, so he's available.

(H/T: Business Insider)

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Follow Zach Noble (@thezachnoble) on Twitter

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Zach Noble

Zach Noble

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