Chinese President Begins State Visit to UK

Early morning on October 20 (Vietnam time), Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife arrived at Heathrow Airport in London, beginning a four-day state visit to the UK at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Attending the welcoming ceremony at the airport was host country Foreign Minister Philip Hammond.

According to the plan, the Chinese President and his wife will be received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, attend a royal banquet and have meetings with Prince Charles and Prince William.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife at Heathrow Airport in London. Photo: AFP

The Chinese leader is expected to address the British Parliament and conclude his trip with a visit to Manchester in northwestern England. Xi is also expected to meet with leading British politicians, including opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

While both sides have hailed the visit as ushering in a “golden era” in their comprehensive strategic partnership, some sensitive economic and political issues are likely to be raised during the meetings. British Prime Minister David Cameron said he might raise the issue of cheap Chinese steel imports, which are hitting struggling British steelmakers.

Xi Jinping’s state visit is the first by a Chinese president to Britain in 10 years. During a visit to China last month, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said Britain could be China’s “best partner in the West”.

During the 4-day working visit (October 19-23) of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the UK, the two sides are expected to sign an agreement to build a nuclear power plant in Somerset County, Southwest England, worth about 26 billion USD, paving the way for the development of London's first new generation nuclear power plant in the past 20 years.

The UK is China's second largest trading partner in the European Union (EU). In particular, economic and trade cooperation between China and the UK has been growing steadily. In 2014, trade turnover between the two countries increased by 15.3% and reached 80.87 billion USD./.

According to Vietnam+