Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is to make his first state visit to Britain next month, the British government said yesterday, 10 years after the previous such visit by a Chinese president.
The news of Xi’s Oct. 20 to Oct. 23 visit comes a week after British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne visited China in a bid to improve economic and financial ties.
Despite disagreements over human rights and the former British colony of Hong Kong, China values Britain’s defense of free trade and lack of obstacles to investing in Britain.
Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), are to stay at Buckingham Palace, the palace said in a statement, according to an e-mail from the British embassy in Beijing.
The previous Chinese head of state to visit Britain was former Chinese president Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) in 2005.
A state visit usually includes a visit to the British parliament and a meeting with the prime minister.
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