The two most senior Chinese officials at the historic ceremony that brought China into the WTO wore gold and red ties.
'One is the red of China and the Communist Party, the other is the wealth that membership will bring,' whispered a delegate watching the two men who sat in the front row of the packed hall in the Sheraton Hotel.
The star of the show was the man with the gold tie - Shi Guangsheng, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation and head of China's delegation to the WTO conference.
A short, bald man, he sat in his chair with a content expression as 15 cameramen jostled to take his picture before they were ushered out by towering Qatari security men in flowing white robes and black head bands.
The red tie belonged to Vice-Minister Long Yongtu, the chief negotiator since 1992.
They listened to a short speech by the Qatari Minister of Finance, Economy and Commerce, Youssef Kamal, accepting the report of the working group on China's membership and asking for the views of the members. After a brief silence, there was an outburst of thunderous applause and the minister brought down his gavel, signifying the WTO members had accepted China. The audience applauded again and stood up to show their approval.
Mr Shi walked proudly to the podium and addressed the audience in Chinese, English and French.
