China’s President Arrives in Britain to Begin ‘Golden Era’
KABUL: (Middle East Press) Chinese president Xi Jinping has been distinguished at a sumptuous banquet at Buckingham Palace at the start of his four-day visit to the United Kingdom.
The Queen praised the relationship between the two countries.
Prince William and his wife Catherine were among 170 guests who attended in a grand display of pomp and pageantry.
“Your visit to the UK marks a milestone in this unprecedented year of cooperation and friendship between the UK and China as we celebrate the ties between our two countries and prepare to take them to ambitious new heights,” she said.
Mr Xi also expects relations with Britain to reach new heights during his visit.
Earlier, addressing the UK parliament, Mr Xi spoke about the “mutual affection” between the two nations.
“Although my visit has just started, I am already deeply impressed by the vitality of China-UK relations and the profound friendship between our peoples,” he said.
“This gives me good reason to believe that my visit will lift the friendly ties between our two countries to a new height.”
While the focus of his state visit is to increase trade and economic ties, he also spoke more broadly about China’s development and the rule of law.
“The ancient Chinese believe that no country will stay strong or weak forever,” he told the MPs and lords.
“He who abides by the law will make a country strong, while he who fails to do so will make a country weak.”
In welcoming the Chinese president to Westminster, the speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow told Mr Xi: “The Chinese people have many, many friends in this parliament.”
But he also made several pointed remarks, praising Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and referring to the “innate right of human freedom”.
“In this century, no country can exist in isolation,” he said.
The visit — the first since 2005 by a Chinese leader — has been hailed as the beginning of a “golden era” for the two countries.
Before the speech, thousands of people lined the streets of The Mall in London to watch the elaborate welcome procession for Mr Xi.
Mr Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla at a luxury hotel on Tuesday morning.
