A mixed welcome
Jolly atmosphere on The Mall this morning #lovelondon #ChinaStateVisit pic.twitter.com/EGidEhy2Pi
— DorchesterCollection (@DC_LuxuryHotels) October 20, 2015
President Xi and The Duke of Edinburgh inspect the Guard of Honour #ChinaStateVisit pic.twitter.com/awLPXI7dPY
— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) October 20, 2015
The President of China, Xi Jinping has been on a bit of a tour this year. Having already visited the United States not a month ago, President Xi touched down in London today, commencing his first official visit to the United Kingdom. While the British government has rolled out the red carpet for the leader of the world’s strongest economy, some Twitter commentators have been less than welcoming.
Xi, welcome to the UK. Now get out of Tibet. #ChinaStateVisit pic.twitter.com/uuiycDwlcP
— Brandy Snap (@Brandy_Snap) October 20, 2015
Human rights abusers WELCOME! Victims of human rights abuse: sorry we are full. #ChinaStateVisit #refugeecrisis
— Kate O’Sullivan (@KateEOSullivan) October 20, 2015
Criticism centred around alleged human rights abuses by the Chinese government, and territorial disputes, such as the continuing situation in Tibet. Some sought to highlight alleged hypocrisy by the British government. Many in the UK have felt the response to the refugee crisis was inadequate, allowing only 20,000 refugees over five years, when the Syrian conflict has displaced over 9 million people. In entertaining a state visit by China, some thought the government was showing itself to be on the side of perpetrators of human rights abuses, and not its victims.
Business – as usual
Big week as UK looks to cement bilateral UK-China ties as President Xi arrives & lots of areas of economic & trade progress #ChinaStateVisit
— Gerard Lyons (@DrGerardLyons) October 19, 2015
Hurray #ChinaStateVisit in the UK! Good news! Hoping more ties will be put in place to help communication and trade! 欢迎光临
— JJ (@arkanza) October 19, 2015
The main purpose of China’s state visit is economics, in order to bolster trade relationships between China and the UK. This is the theme of China’s state visits. The scale of the welcome President Xi received is indicative of China’s enduring and increasing economic and political power in the world. Already set to invest more than £5bn in the United Kingdom, government and businesses alike hope that Xi’s visit will pave the way for significantly more investment, and a chance to gain a share of the success achieved by the People’s Republic. China hopes to cement its economic ties to the UK, and show the West who now holds the power. As the UK’s second largest import partner, China’s key role in the British economy shows no signs of diminishing. With deals worth over £30bn slated to be signed during the four-day visit, China’s stake in the UK, and the Western economies, will only increase.
