Celebrating in Style (Not)

This past week several high-profile visitors have come to China.

Late last week it was Indian Prime Minister Mamohan Singh, Pacific Command Commander-in-Chief Timothy Keating of the United States and now British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

In the case of Singh and Brown, they were pushing China to reduce the trade deficit by buying services or new technology.

And Keating was not only building a stronger relationship with China's military, but also trying to get to the bottom of the Kitty Hawk affair. But he didn't get far on the latter.

To celebrate their success, Brown and Singh each were photographed with their Chinese counterparts holding a glass of champagne.

The glasses are the wide brim ones that wine connoisseurs cringe at. That's because the aroma from the bubbly is completely lost when people drink it.

They are also considered so 1970s.

Can someone tell the protocol person in charge of alcohol for these lavish dos to order some champagne flutes? As a country trying to establish itself on the international stage, showing a bit of style would prove China's not just the world's workshop. It's got pizazz too.