No good deed goes unpunished: Chinese media censor Putin's chivalry

© AP

Vladimir Putin puts a shawl on Peng Liyuan as they arrive to watch a fireworks show at the opening ceremony of the APEC summit

Beijing has launched a major campaign to improve manners in the Chinese capital, called "Be a Splendid Beijinger".

And as world leaders gathered outside on a chilly night for the opening ceremony of the APEC summit, Vladimir Putin was on hand to show the locals how to be polite.

Noticing that Peng Liyuan, the wife of the Chinese president Xi Jinping, was shivering in just a silk qipao dress, Mr Putin stood up and draped a camel-coloured overcoat over her shoulders.

In turn, she demurely paused a moment before slipping off the coat, handing it to an assistant and putting on a cardigan.

Her husband, sitting on her other side, seemed oblivious throughout as he chatted with Barack Obama.

But the act of intimacy was noticed by the commentators on Chinese state television and quickly drew attention on the internet, with some suggesting that Mrs Peng's charms had won over the gallant Russian president.

Chinese censors then moved in, erasing the footage and removing comments about Mrs Peng and Mr Putin from the internet.

The 21-nation summit in Beijing is focused on trade and cooperation between Pacific rim countries. But there have been plenty of awkward moments, both between Mr Xi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, and between Mr Obama and Mr Putin, to keep the public entertained.

Chinese commenters were also unimpressed with Mr Obama's habit of chewing nicotine gum. As he stepped out of his car for the summit's opening banquet, the president's chewing led to some criticism of his "American manners" while others suggested he looked like a rap star.