No, Jane Ittogi didn't leave Mexico's president hanging. The 'handshake' was actually a misrepresentation.

Jane Ittogi, wife of Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was caught in what looked like an awkward situation during the president's state visit to Mexico.

Both foreign news outlets and netizens pounced on a truncated video clip that appeared to show Ittogi refusing to shake the hand of Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum.

However, watching a video of the entire situation reveals something much different, and less click-baity; it's all about the protocol of taking an official photo.

The misconception

Phoenix TV, a Hong Kong media outlet, posted a video on Instagram on Dec. 4, showing President Tharman, Ittogi and Sheinbaum.

In the short clip, President Tharman was standing in the middle, with Ittogi to his right and Sheinbaum to his left.

Tharman gestured to his right, and Sheinbaum appeared to extend a hand to the right, where Ittogi was standing.

However, Ittogi did not reach out her hand. The video then zoomed in on Sheinbaum's face, who appeared to be smiling bemusedly.

The three then stood still for a moment, presumably to take a photo, before they turned around and walked away.

The video then ended with a parting shot, observing that Ittogi apparently also did not take President Tharman's hand as they were walking away.

The caption read:

"On December 1, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum hosted a welcome ceremony for visiting Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the National Palace in Mexico City.

Footage captured the moment when the Mexican President extended her hand to the Singaporean President’s wife, but it went unanswered. Additionally, she didn't offer her hand to her husband either."

What really happened

However, a video from a Mexican news outlet of the same incident, taken from a different angle, sheds light on the situation.

It shows the leaders and Ittogi standing before a military band.

Sheinbaum's husband, Jesús María Tarriba Unger, was not present.

The band plays the Mexican national anthem and then Singapore's national anthem, with all three standing at attention.

At 5:26, an announcement says: "And now an official photograph of the two leaders will now be taken."

All three stand still as the photograph is taken.

It is at this moment that the misleading clip taken from Phoenix TV begins.

Standard diplomatic protocol for such visits call for the two principals or heads of state to be photographed first, before the spouses join in.

An example of this can be seen from President Tharman's previous state visit to Egypt, where President Tharman posed for photos with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

After the two leaders had their photo taken, another photo was taken with the spouses included, and Ittogi posed for another photo with Antissa Emer, the wife of el-Sisi.

As Sheinbaum's husband was not present, the photo would appear "uneven", with the Mexican president standing at one side.

Here's another angle, you would notice four markers on the floor.

And with Tarriba not present, the photo would look "lopsided" with Sheinbaum at the side.

It seems more likely that President Tharman would be asking Sheinbaum if she wanted a photo with just the two leaders together, to which there was a minor misunderstanding. This would also explain President Tharman's gesture.

It is therefore unlikely that Sheinbaum would be looking to shake Ittogi's hand at this moment.

After taking the photograph, both leaders walk away, and with Ittogi's back to the camera, there's no way to tell if she did take her husband's hand or not. It's also possible she did while they were walking away.

As it turned out, Ittogi also did shake Sheinbaum's hand earlier.

Perhaps it was a slow news day for Phoenix TV.

Top image from President Tharman Facebook page.