BEIJING — China pulled out all the stops for President Donald Trump’s Beijing airport arrival: honour guard, marching band, jumping children. The ceremony accompanying Trump’s arrival Wednesday afternoon was elaborate even by China’s lavish standards. Protocol is extremely important in Chinese governance and diplomacy, and such events are always carefully choreographed down to the smallest detail. Spontaneous interactions between visiting leaders and ordinary Chinese are rare, although visiting U.S. presidents have in the past been permitted to deliver speeches and meet with university students. Welcoming ceremonies have grown increasingly elaborate under Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has lavished more time and energy on advancing China’s diplomatic agenda than any of his predecessors.

Source: National Post November 08, 2017 09:06 UTC