Chinese Foreign Minister quickly takes off his tie after seeing Vivian Balakrishnan wasn’t wearing one

SINGAPORE: The Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Wang Yi, came to Singapore last Thursday (Aug 10), and his visit was hosted by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.

A video of the two men greeting each other has made the rounds online, getting shared on TikTok and Instagram. It shows Mr Wang alighting from a vehicle and then Dr Balakrishnan coming to meet him with an arm outstretched to shake his hand and then embrace Mr Wang.

However, as soon as the hug ends, the Chinese Foreign Minister quickly removes his tie, ostensibly because he saw that his Singaporean counterpart was not wearing one. He then immediately and discreetly hands it to an aide.

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China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi removed his tie after Vivian Balakrishnan apologised for not wearing one #Singapore #China

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In the video below, it can be seen that even before the embrace begins, Mr Wang already has a hand on the collar of his shirt, as if he wants to take his tie off.

And noticeably, in the background, another man, presumably one of Mr Wang’s colleagues, takes off his tie too.

This change in attire can be seen in a Facebook post from Dr Balakrishnan. In the first picture, as the two shake hands, Mr Wang’s tie is still on.

In the other two photos, all the men are tie-less.

In his post, Dr Balakrishnan called Mr Wang his good friend, adding that they “had a good dinner at the Botanic Gardens, and had a wide-ranging conversation on a variety of strategic issues. We discussed our mutual interest in furthering tourism and business flows, and air connectivity between China and Singapore.”

During his visit, the minister also met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. /TISG

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