A comparison between the sharp, western-style suits of the latest crop of rising political stars in China and the frumpy Mao suits favoured by their predecessors gives some superficial indication of how different it is to be a Chinese Communist party official now compared with several decades ago.

True, party officials still do not have to impress the electorate, but for the mid-rank official looking for his or her next big break, a public gaffe or misstep in etiquette, especially on the international stage, could be politically costly.