When Xi Jinping Buys Something, Sales Tend to Spike

What do Russian ice cream, British beer, and dumplings with stir-fried pig liver and intestines have in common? When President Xi Jinping consumes them, sales in China soar.

The latest indicator of the Xi factor: A surge in purchases of Russian ice creams after President Vladamir Putin brought some as a gift for Xi at the G-20 summit in Hangzhou earlier this month. Sales jumped after the news, the Chengdu Economic Daily reported Tuesday.