Xi may rule China, but when it comes to his choice of ties, who wears the trousers?

As China’s First Lady Peng Liyuan becomes a talking point with her dazzling fashion on each state visit, how can President Xi Jinping, dressed always in a dour black suit, wow the cameras? Answer: wear a tie that matches his wife’s outfit.

Peng Liyuan, China most high-profile presidential spouse, has stood head and shoulders above her predecessors in style and popularity. Observers see Peng’s flamboyance as part of an effort to improve Xi’s public image.

Not surprisingly perhaps, few pay attention to what Xi does with his ties – and how they complement his wife’s attire.

When the couple walked down the stairs hand in hand on arrival in Seattle on Tuesday, Peng wore a white dress with blue embroidery, and Xi a blue tie. When the couple visited Mauritania last year, Peng wore a grey jacket with golden stripes – a cocky colour to suit the resource-rich continent. Xi wore a golden tie, too.

A great deal of thought obviously goes into Xi’s choice of tie, according to the occasion. When he met Kuomintang president Chu Li-luan of Taiwan in May, both wore blue ties. The same attire was de rigueur earlier this month when Xi welcomed former KMT president Lien Chan, who defied strident opposition at home to attend Beijing’s 70th anniversary military parade commemorating Japan’s surrender in the second world war.