Trump Rose Diplomacy: China’s Rose Gift Blooms

The Trump rose diplomacy moment began in May, when the president strolled through the gardens of Beijing’s Zhongnanhai leadership compound with Xi Jinping and found himself captivated by China’s blooming roses.

From Beijing’s Garden to the White House

Trump told reporters at the time that the flowers were “the most beautiful roses anyone’s ever seen” and asked Xi for some for the White House Rose Garden. Xi agreed, through an interpreter, to send rose seeds. When Xi visited Washington in late September, the gift arrived: more than 20 types of China rose, or Rosa chinensis, in seven colors were delivered — the first time those varieties had entered the United States. Nineteen of them were new, improved varieties bred in China, selected for their suitability to Washington’s climate, their resilience, and the size and color of their blooms. Three hundred rose plants were shipped for quarantine and planting, and 800 fresh flowers arrived in two batches in shades of red, champagne and pink-orange. Most of the varieties were developed in Beijing, where the China rose is the city’s official flower.

A Symbol of Goodwill

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi praised the delivery as a symbol of the goodwill and friendship of the Chinese people. The gesture provided a rare soft moment between leaders otherwise locked in disputes over trade, technology and Taiwan — and a living reminder, now blooming in the White House Rose Garden, of the garden walk that started it.

*Source: South China Morning Post*