Coming up roses? How Trump planted a new seed for Chinese gift diplomacy
US president was so taken with the ‘beautiful’ flowers at the leadership compound in Beijing that he requested some for the White House
It was a relaxed moment between the US and Chinese leaders – otherwise locked in disputes ranging from trade to technology and Taiwan – that led to a new opportunity for gift diplomacy between the rival powers.
“These are the most beautiful roses anyone’s ever seen,” Trump told reporters at the time. “I asked the president, ‘Could you get me some for the Rose Garden?’ And he said ‘yes’. I’ve never seen roses so big!”
