Old friends of the Chinese people
来自China Digital Space
中国人民的老朋友 (Zhōngguó rénmín de lǎo péngyou): old friends of the Chinese people
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Mourning an old friend. Photoshopped image from the time of Mao’s death.
In official parlance, these are world leaders who have visited China and shown their support for the country. Netizens pay attention to a particular type of “old friend”--friends like Muammar Qaddafi, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Bashar al-Assad.