Xi Jinping began his state visit to Britain with a political show of strength, as the Chinese embassy filled the Mall with thousands of supporters kitted out with T-shirts and flags, drowning out human rights protesters in a sea of red.
Speaking to parliament, the Chinese president promised a bright future for UK-Chinese relations, saying the fates of the two countries were “increasingly interdependent”.
In an address more heavily loaded with aphorisms than substance, Xi steered away from geopolitics while making clear that his government would not take lectures on democracy.
Introducing Xi in parliament’s royal gallery, the Speaker, John Bercow, marvelled at the speed of China’s industrial revolution. However, he cautioned that when it comes to international law and personal freedom, nations should not simply aspire to power but seek to serve as an inspiration.
Mr Bercow went on to praise Burma’s opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and “the innate human right of freedom”.
Ancient times
In his 11-minute speech, Xi acknowledged that he was addressing the “mother of parliaments”, dating back to the 13th century, but added: “In
China
, the concept of putting people first and following the rule of law emerged in ancient times.”
He noted that one Chinese legal charter went back some 2,000 years.
Earlier at Buckingham Palace the heads of state exchanged gifts, with the Queen presenting Xi with a hand- tooled edition of Shakespeare’s sonnets. The Chinese president gave her two CDs of music by his wife, celebrated folk singer Peng Liyuan.
The Queen had formally welcomed the Chinese visitors with a full display of pageantry on Horse Guards Parade. She accompanied Xi in a gold carriage escorted by the Household Cavalry up the Mall, which by then was a mass of red and gold flags and banners.
Carriage ride
The clearest expression of Beijing’s resolve played out on the streets of central London. After the Queen formally welcomed the Chinese president on the first such state visit for a decade, she accompanied him in a golden carriage.
The drive to Buckingham Palace was flanked by a mass of red and gold flags and banners.
The significant if covert effort by Chinese diplomats to ensure Xi’s welcome was evident three hours before his arrival, with large crowds of mainly young Chinese nationals massing on the Mall.
This huge welcoming crowd, five or six deep in places, vastly outnumbered the few hundred rights protesters, who were confined to a small pen of barriers midway down the Mall.
– (Guardian service)