The Queen praises ‘everlasting friendship’ between Britain and China
The Queen described President Xi Jinping’s State visit to Britain as a “defining moment” in the future of Sino-UK relations
By Michael Wilkinson, and Laura Hughes
Summary of Today’s Events
The Queen described President Xi Jinping’s State visit to Britain as a “defining moment” in the future of Sino-UK relations last night as the Chinese leader spoke of the “everlasting friendship” between the two countries.
Barely two years after full diplomatic relations were restored, Mr Xi insisted his four-day visit would lift the bilateral relationship to “a new height”.
The first day of his high-profile stay in the UK, during which £30 billion of trade deals are expected to be agreed, ended with a State banquet that reflected both the pomp and the pressure of a day in which tension was never far from the surface.
The dinner table at Buckingham Palace glistened with gold but the deliberate absence of the Prince of Wales from the set-piece event was a constant reminder that China’s record on human rights remains a barrier in its relations with the West.
The Queen described the first State visit by a Chinese premier for 10 years as “a milestone in the unprecedented year of co-operation and friendship between the United Kingdom and China” as David Cameron and George Osborne pursue a policy of making Britain China’s most important European trading partner.
Among the guests were Prime Minister David Cameron, Chancellor George Osborne, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney.
Members of the royal family who attended included the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.