When Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete arrived in China on Oct. 21, 2014, motorcycle escorts were included in the motorcade as he traveled from the airport to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in downtown Beijing.

Motorcycle escort is a top protocol arrangement and a security measure for a foreign head of state or head of government, according to a press release by Chinese Foreign Ministry. China had conducted motorcycle escorts since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, but the practice was stopped on Jan. 1, 2004.