... mode or what is wrong with the picture. Xi departs, after his triumphant visit in Serbia...
Serbian MiG-29s as escort are understandable. Do not forget that Russia transferred 6 MiG-29 SMTs to Serbia a few years back.
Now compare this to Vladimir Putin's plane.
This is one of the issues China's fanboys do not want to face. I use the term "China's fanboys" in a very narrow sense--China is a superpower and is a gigantic economy--but, Xi still flies customized Boeing-747. Putin flies 100% Russian-made IL-96. Symbols do matter. Anyone who denies this is a fool. It also underscores how difficult commercial aviation is.
This is not easy to rectify. CR-929 could have been it, but not anymore. Russia is not sharing PD-35 engines, period. Neither does GE or Rolls Royce. It is hard, very hard...
