Beauty and the beast: China brought its own wheels, a red flag, to Washington

China’s Hongqi N701, the heavily armoured limousine used by President Xi Jinping during his state visit to Washington TOI correspondent from Washington: If there was any doubt that China has its “wheels up” moment in its quest for global primacy, it was answered by way of Beijing bringing its own wheels to Washington this week.When Xi Jinping arrived for his state visit, the Chinese did not leave the business of presidential transportation to American hospitality. Following him across the Pacific was the Hongqi N701, China’s closely guarded, heavily armoured state limousine, an 18-foot rolling declaration that the country that once borrowed the West’s luxury cars now has a beauty of its own to match America’s “Beast” -- the moniker for the US Presidential limousine.The symbolism was hard to miss. “Hongqi” means Red Flag -- and it is not something Xi could have picked up at a Beijing dealership on the way to the airport. A custom-build vehicle, its exact specifications are classified, but it is believed to weigh more than three tons and feature armour, bullet-resistant glass, run-flat tyres, secure communications and protection against contaminated air.In other words, Xi did not mer...