Banquet diplomacy offers chance for connections in warm atmosphere

Wednesday marked a special day not only for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who celebrated his 64th birthday, but for China-India relations.

Modi and President Xi Jinping in Modi's hometown, Gujarat, and together they enjoyed a birthday banquet.

Xi made Gujarat - where Modi rose to power - the first stop of his first state visit to India.

The small-scale get-together also included first lady Peng Liyuan, politicians and officials from both sides.

Sources said Xi sent a Chinese embroidery as a gift for Modi, and that the banquet ended on a happy note.

Banquet attendees said Xi and Modi were like old friends at the meeting, and they clearly understand and support each other's vision for national and regional development.

In addition to the birthday banquet, the Indian leader made many other special arrangements for Xi's visit to Gujarat, dispelling lingering suspicion that the two giant Asian neighbors are at odds.

It was reported that Gujarat originally was not on the schedule of the visit, but Modi insisted on making it a special stop.

Modi also chose to stay in the same hotel as Xi. The two leaders immediately had an extended one-on-one talk at the hotel.

They took a walk down the Sabarmati Riverfront Garden, strolling and stopping from time to time to watch Indian folk artists' performances along the road in Ahmedabad.

Indian media said that the Indian side spent a lot of time preparing more than 100 items of food, including soups and desserts, for the birthday dinner.

For years, banquet diplomacy, especially involving family, has been the norm and a vital part of a successful visit paid by a state leader to another country.

During his visit this week to Tajik, Xi was invited by Tajikistani President Emomalii Rahmon for a traditional, warm family dinner. Rahmon arranged a bazaar of local products in the yard and introduced Xi and Peng to three generations of his family.

Rahmon gave Xi a local costume and a delicacy, nang, a baked flatbread.

During Xi's visit to Mongolia last month, Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj also invited Xi and Peng to a traditional family banquet.

The dinner featured a main course calling khorkhog, a Mongolian dish of lamb cooked in a metal pot containing hot stones and water.

According to diplomats familiar with the protocol arrangements, topics more personal and sensitive can be brought out during family dinners shared by leaders of two countries.

Unlike diplomatic meeting venues, which have fixed procedures, family and small-scale banquets more often than not involve special arrangements made by the hosts and convey the warmth the host feels for the guests.

The intimate family dinner atmosphere is also more conducive to bringing a softer approach to bilateral relations and enhancing personal ties between two leaders.

The scene of a family banquet often features homemade and traditional foods with a casual atmosphere, a relaxing alternative to the formality of diplomatic dialogue and negotiation.

wujiao@chinadaily.com.cn