These specialties were all for the Chinese leaders and guests at the thank-you dinner reception after the establishment of relations.
China had just emerged from the scorch of the Cultural Revolution and was opening up bit by bit to join the rest of the global community. So the exotic durians and beverages were essential to kick off relations. (Talking about the king of fruits — today only fresh Thai durians are allowed directly into China, the rest from the region have to be frozen.)