BOTH leaders looked grim as they walked towards each other, hands outstretched. Their handshake was awkward, and neither man offered a smile when they posed for the obligatory photo.

The widely anticipated meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe yesterday started off frostily. At one point, Mr Xi turned away just as Mr Abe appeared to be speaking to him.

Their body language says it all, especially Mr Xi’s, according to analysts. It reflects that both sides might not have been too happy with the compromises they had to make for the meeting – one that Mr Abe had been pushing for – to take place.

“It sends this signal to the other party: I am meeting you not as a friend. I still blame you for the deterioration in the bilateral relations. You should do more to improve the relationship,” Singapore-based analyst Li Mingjiang of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said.