Motorcades for guests of honor

Providing motorcycle escorts for visiting leaders' convoys is a show of good hospitality and respect for international practice

In a break from a decade-old protocol, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was driven from Beijing airport in the suburbs to the downtown Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in a motorcade on Oct 21, drawing widespread attention.

The practice of using motorcycle riders to escort heads of state or government started in 1954 when former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited China. The practice was abolished during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), but was resumed in the 1980s. Watching handsome motorcycle riders escorting State guests live or on TV form part of the fond memories of people who grew up in those decades.

The practice was abolished again on January 1, 2004, especially for two reasons. First, with Beijing facing increasingly heavy traffic pressure, motorcades could worsen the situation by blocking arterial roads. And second, motorcycle escorts became something of a decorative feature without any real use.

The resumption of the practice, therefore, has prompted some people to ask: Will it become a regular feature again, worsening the traffic jams in Beijing? And doesn't the advocacy of simplicity and austerity by the new leadership make motorcycle escorts something of a luxury?

A closer analysis, however, will show that motorcades, if well planned and executed, won't disrupt the normal flow of traffic. When important foreign leaders visit China, a common practice is to clear the roads, which at times worsens the traffic jams. Motorcycle escorts could help avoid such troubles, as several photographs taken by Xinhua News Agency show that no roads were cleared for the Tanzanian president's motorcade.

Moreover, a motorcade is not a luxury. It is, first of all, a kind of honorary concierge service that a nation provides to its honorable guests. It is a diplomatic practice popular across the world. China has always believed hospitality to be a virtue, which can be reflected in the way it welcomes its guests.