Hands clasped tightly, Warren Buffett and Wang Yang posed for the classic picture portrait, framed against a backdrop of a Chinese mountain scene.
Few foreign dignitaries, let alone businesspeople, make it into the Zhongnanhai leadership compound next to Beijing’s Forbidden City. It is a mark of Mr Buffett’s international influence that China’s vice-premier welcomed him there in mid-May.
It was only the fourth visit the 82-year-old chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway had made to Beijing. The conversation with Mr Wang covered not only the billionaire’s view of China but also the future of one of America’s most recognisable brands.