Economic cooperation, investment to be discussed: experts
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to address the UK Parliament on Tuesday, meet with Prime Minister David Cameron for bilateral talks on Wednesday and visit the City Football Group in Manchester on Friday, new details of his state visit have revealed.
According to a note received by the Global Times from Buckingham Palace, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will have lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday followed by a private tour of an exhibition in the Picture Gallery, which will showcase items from the Royal Collection relating to China.
Xi will then visit the Palace of Westminster, where the president will address the UK Parliament.
In the evening, the Queen will give a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, where both Xi and the Queen will make speeches at the start of the banquet.
Chen Zhimin, a professor with the Center for European Studies at Fudan University, said Xi's address to Parliament may focus on Sino-UK relations.
"Xi will likely emphasize the importance of cooperation between the two countries. He might also talk about the 'Belt and Road' initiatives and how the plan would involve the UK. Since both countries are permanent members of the UN Security Council, Xi's speech could also touch on some global issues," Chen told the Global Times.
"His speech at the state banquet is likely to be casual. The president could talk about some personal stories or stories that signal friendship between the people of the two countries," Chen noted.
Xi's Wednesday schedule includes visiting Imperial College London and attending a creative industry event at Lancaster House in the morning. Xi will then meet with UK Prime Minister David Cameron for a bilateral meeting. In the afternoon Xi will attend the UK-China Business Summit, an event focusing on investment, infrastructure and innovation, and later visit Huawei Technology.
The Chinese first couple will attend a banquet given by the Lord Mayor and the City of London Corporation on Wednesday evening. Xi will make a speech at the end of the banquet.
Experts said Xi's speech on the second day of his visit may focus more on economic cooperation.
On Thursday, Xi will visit Inmarsat, a leading provider of global satellite communication service, and attend a Confucius Institute conference.
Xi will meet with Cameron at Chequers Court for talks and dinner before leaving London for Manchester.
Xi's schedule in Manchester on Friday includes visits to the National Graphene Institute at the University of Manchester, a world-class graphene research center, and to the City Football Group, an Anglo-Arab company that oversees the administration of a network of linked clubs.
Xi is known to be a soccer fan and China is currently undergoing a campaign to boost the performance of Chinese soccer players.
