– It was a really beautiful moment, writes a person from Guangdong on the social media platform Weibo. The moment was caught on film when Chinese President Xi Jinping was leaving the summit with US President Joe Biden in San Francisco last week. Biden suddenly showed interest in Xi’s car. – It is a beautiful vehicle, said Biden. – Yes, it is a Chinese Hongqi (红旗). Take a look, Xi said with a laugh. Something in common? US President Joe Biden and China’s president disagree on a lot, but found the tone about cars. Photo: Doug Mills / AP “The Beast” The incident created immediate excitement on social media in China, writes the website What’s on Weibo. Within a day, 300 million users had clicked on the subject tag “#Biden points to Hongqi car and calls it beautiful”. The American president looked inside the car, and compared it to his own American Cadillac. – Do you know what they call it? They call it “the beast,” Biden said, before the two waved goodbye. From this moment on, the two cars were sort of evenly matched. The incident was symbolically appreciated by the Chinese who want just this: That the US and China should be equal. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson Hua Chunying posted a picture of the two cars of the two presidents on X/Twitter. Photo: Screen dump / X Big enough world Not many people had high expectations for the summit between the two presidents. From Xi’s side, it was nevertheless a clear strategy in presenting a friendly front. In the eyes of the Chinese, the US is doing everything it can to slow down China’s growth, but now the two cars suddenly opened up hope for a different future. The conversation between the two heads of state reflected the message the Chinese president put forward during his visit to San Francisco: That the world is big enough for both the US and China. – I think our bilateral relationship will develop further, said Xi, as he stood on the steps. – I agree with that, said Biden. A Hongqi brand car drives past the Forbidden City in Beijing. Photo: FRED DUFOUR / AFP Excitement The Weibo user from Guangdong claims that times have changed, and that it is no longer the case that admiration goes from East to West. – The situation has been turned upside down. Now it’s the Americans’ turn to get excited about Chinese infrastructure, manufacturing, and not least the car industry, he writes. He believes that China has achieved a position of power which is now reflected in respect, equality, as well as the admiration of the West and the United States. – This reality is a powerful blow to these Western intellectuals who wanted us to kneel in order to achieve friendship with the West, he writes. President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon in the Forbidden City, February 25, 1972. By then, China had long since begun the production of its own cars. Photo: AP Electric cars Last year, China produced almost 24 million private cars, and that is more than any other country in the world. China is also aiming to become the world’s largest exporter of cars this year, according to the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua. The handwriting of the father of the country Mao Zedong will be used as a template for the car brand Hongqi. Mao must have followed the process closely when the brand was launched in 1958. Photo: Ng Han Guan / AP Not least the Chinese are betting on Norway, both as a market and gateway to the rest of Europe, with their electric cars. The car brand Hongqi, which was thus used by the President of China during his visit to the USA, is also sold in Norway. The Xi’s version is still somewhat more equipped. The car he used must be both bulletproof and bombproof, and it must have an air compression system to protect against chemical attacks. It has been given the code name N702, and is said to have previously been used on state visits, including in Russia. Red Flag Hongqi is not just any brand. It is associated with national pride, and is the first car China produced. The name Hongqi (红旗) means Red Banner and has socialist undertones. China’s president stands in a car manufactured by Chinese Hongqi during the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The photo shows Xi inspecting the army. A Hongqi car was first used at a military parade in 1959. Photo: POOL / Reuters The car brand came onto the scene in 1958, a few years after the Chinese revolution, and was used by Chinese high up in the Chinese Communist Party. Production is said to have stopped in 1981, but was then taken up again around 1995, and is today associated with luxury. Now Chinese people are suggesting on social media that President Biden should become a spokesperson for the car brand. – Hey Joe, how about going for a Hongqi too? asks a Weibo user, according to the website What’s on Weibo. The Norwegian royal couple were driven around in a Chinese Hongqi L5 during the ongoing state visit to the country. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
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