Vladimir Putin's gallantry raises Chinese censors' eyebrows

It was a warm gesture on a chilly night when Vladimir Putin wrapped a shawl around the wife of Xi Jinping while the Chinese president chatted with Barack Obama.

But that seemed too much for the Chinese authorities.

The incident at a performance linked to this week's Asia-Pacific summit was originally broadcast on state broadcaster CCTV and spread online as a forwarded video. But it was soon scrubbed clean from the Chinese internet, reflecting the intense control authorities exert over any material about top leaders while also pointing to cultural differences over what's considered acceptable behaviour in public.

Watch: Video of Putin putting shawl on China's first lady censored by Chinese government

"China is traditionally conservative on public interaction between unrelated men and women, and the public show of consideration by Putin may provide fodder for jokes, which the big boss probably does not like," said Beijing-based historian and independent commentator Zhang Lifan .

Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan , was once a popular folk singer, more famous than her husband, and in contrast to her predecessors she has taken on a much more public role, prominently joining her husband on trips abroad as part of China's soft power push to seek global status commensurate with its economic might.