Hu Jintao in US: Obama to host talks on thorny issues

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by August

Well I prefer to see it realistically. The act of tilting the head forward is not a sign of submission unless it is actually intended to be one.

I mean by your reasoning a MoH recipient or a winning Olympic athlete is giving a sign of submission when they hang the medal around his neck. Not likely.

Yes, it is submission. For both the MoH recipient or the Olympic athlete, the act of lowering the head so that the award is placed around the neck is a symbolic recognition of the authority of the awarding body, be it the United States government or the IOC. The act of awarding merit in such a manner has been established as a gesture of submission since Medieval times, where the regent would award the recipient, who would have his head bowed. So, yes, the President of the United States being awarded in this manner by an actual regent is a sign of submission. This is opposed to being handed an award, which is symbolic of recognition among equals.