Xi receives royal welcome in London
Print Edition
PRESIDENT Xi Jinping lauded China’s close ties with Britain during a speech to the Westminster parliament yesterday, saying the two countries were increasingly interdependent.
“It is fair to say that China and the UK are increasingly interdependent and are becoming a community of shared interests,” he said in a speech on the first full day of his state visit to Britain.
“I am already deeply impressed by the vitality of China-UK relations and the profound friendship between our peoples,” he said.
Earlier, Xi rode in a gilded carriage drawn by white horses to Buckingham Palace after a royal salute began a pomp-laden visit to the United Kingdom, which Prime Minister David Cameron hopes will cement a lucrative place for Britain as China’s closest friend in the West.
Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip and dignitaries including Cameron at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.
The Chinese leader was welcomed with a 41-gun artillery salute before accompanying the Duke of Edinburgh on an inspection of a Guard of Honor of Grenadier Guards, all dressed in traditional scarlet tunics and wearing bearskins.
Xi and Peng then joined the Queen and the Duke for a short carriage procession to Buckingham Palace, to the sounds of the Chinese national anthem.
Thousands of supporters cheering “China! China!” thronged The Mall, as the golden and black Diamond Jubilee Coach passed by.
After riding through crowds of well-wishers, Xi enjoyed a private lunch at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, after which he viewed an exhibition of items from the Royal Collection relating to China.
The enthusiastic welcome for the first Chinese head of state to visit Britain in 10 years represents “the West and the East warmly embracing each other for a better future,” said Fu Xiaolan, professor of technology at Oxford University.
The visit, during which billions of pounds worth of deals are set to be signed, has been hailed as the start of a “golden time” in Sino-British relations.
Closer cooperation between China and Britain could “raise the living standards of ordinary people” and “send more kids to school,” Fu said.
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