Dawn of a new era

Beijing and London upgraded their comprehensive strategic partnership to a global one during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United Kingdom from Oct 19 to Oct 23, the first by a Chinese president in a decade.

Signs of the accelerating growth in ties have been evident this year as the UK got in line early to apply for membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in March. The two countries also maintains long-term, frequent communication in international and regional affairs.

After his reelection in May, British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his hope of making the coming five years a "golden era" for bilateral relations.

At about 8 pm local time on Oct 19, President Xi's plane touched down at Heathrow Airport west of London. London, the first stop of his visit, was followed by a visit to Manchester.

On his arrival, Xi noted that this year "marks the start of the second decade of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries".

Chinese and British national flags were seen at the Horse Guard's Parade in London days ahead, and royal hospitality greeted the Chinese leader with pomp and circumstance.

On Oct 20, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived at the Royal Pavilion on House Guard's Parade accompanied by Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

In accordance with the highest standard of royal etiquette of the UK, there was a 103 gun-salute, 62 rounds fired from the Tower of London and 41 from Green Park.

Accompanied by Prince Philip, Xi inspected the guard of honor during a traditional ceremonial.

At noon, Xi and Peng attended the luncheon held by Queen Elizabeth II.

While addressing both houses of the British Parliament on Oct 20, Xi said the two countries have made numerous "firsts" in bilateral relations.

Given that the two countries' economic and trade relationships have undergone rapid development in recent years, Xi noted: "Britain is a leading offshore RMB trading center after Hong Kong. It is also the first Western country to issue RMB sovereign bonds and the first major Western country to apply for full membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank."

Moreover, Britain hosts more Chinese students and Confucius Institutes than any other European Union country, Xi said.

Feng Zhongping, a senior researcher on European studies and vice-president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, says there is a strong desire on both sides to push ties to new heights, which have been mirrored by the frequent high-level contacts between Beijing and London.

New opportunities for collaboration are emerging, Feng says. "When it comes to (British) exports, China's immense market and constantly growing consumption capacity of (its) consumers are very appealing to Britain." On investments, upcoming infrastructure projects planned by the British government are "desperate for the involvement of Chinese businesses", Feng says.

More than 500 people listened to Xi's 11-minute speech to Parliament, including Lord Speaker Frances D'Souza of the House of Lords, Speaker John Bercow of the House of Commons, Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Xi recalled how 24 Chinese naval cadets took part in the Normandy landings during World War II and received personal thanks from Winston Churchill for their gallantry, and how China helped save a British military medic earlier this year who contracted the Ebola virus while volunteering in Sierra Leone.

Deals to generate jobs

As of Oct 21, Beijing and London had secured deals worth about 40 billion pounds ($62 billion; 54.5 billion euros), and according to the British government, the cash generated by the new deals will help create 3,900 jobs across the UK.

Also on Oct 21, Xi held talks with Cameron at 10 Downing Street, and the two countries agreed to upgrade their ties to a "global comprehensive strategic partnership" in the 21st century.

Key pacts signed that day include an agreement inked by Chinese and French companies to build a British nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in southwestern England.

In the presence of Xi and Cameron, China General Nuclear Power Corp and Electricite de France signed a strategic investment agreement.

According to the agreement, the CGN-led Chinese consortium takes a 33.5 percent stake and EDF takes 66.5 percent in the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project.

Cameron described the deal as "historic" as the project would provide reliable, affordable energy to nearly 6 million homes and create more than 25,000 jobs.

At a joint news conference following the talks, Cameron said: "Our relationship goes beyond trade and investment." He called China and Britain "global powers" with shared interests in a stable and modern world.

According to a statement issued after the Xi-Cameron meeting, the two sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and enhance communication and cooperation on such issues as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, international economic and financial governance, climate change and peacekeeping.

Britain is ready to expand cooperation with China in finance, energy, creative industry and in visa policy, Cameron said during his talks with Xi.

Xi said the two countries would open up a golden era of an enduring, inclusive and win-win relationship and jointly create a brighter future for bilateral relations.

The president said both countries should "respect each other's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity as well the development path, and treat each other with an open and inclusive mind".

Major progress such as in visas and currency swaps was also unveiled during the state visit.

The British embassy in Beijing said on Oct 21 that Britain will start to issue a two-year multiple-entry visa for Chinese tourists beginning in 2016, prompted by an increasing number of high-spending tourists from China.

With the new visa, tourists will be allowed to leave and return to the country without resubmitting paperwork for two years, and the British government is considering introducing a 10-year multiple-entry visa in the future.

China's central bank announced that day that it has extended an agreement on a reciprocal currency swap scheme with the Bank of England.

The maximum value of swap was expanded from 200 billion yuan ($31.5 billion; 27.8 billion euros) to 350 billion yuan, valid for three years. It can be further extended upon agreement, according to a statement by the People's Bank of China.

The visiting Chinese leader and his wife, Peng, joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the morning of Oct 21 at a creative industry event at Lancaster House celebrating cultural collaboration between China and Britain.

Xi and Britain's Prince William viewed a sports car from Britain's iconic automaker Aston Martin, a company famous for making the car driven by fictional spy James Bond, that will be equipped with an entertainment system with Chinese technology.

"China and Britain are both cultural powers. We should enhance creative cultural exchanges and improve mutual understanding between our two peoples through cultural products," said the president during a conversation with Prince William.

At Lancaster House, Xi and Peng, with Duke and Duchess, also watched a documentary about Confucius jointly produced by Chinese and British moviemakers.

Song Xinning, professor at Renmin University of China in Beijing and an expert on European studies, notes: "The exchanges between China and Britain were once underestimated to some degree in both economic and cultural aspects.

"The economic and trade exchanges between the two countries have continued to develop even though both economies are seeing their growth slow."

While addressing the closing ceremony of a China-Britain business summit on Oct 21, Xi told business leaders that China's economy will keep operating within "a proper range" and there will be no "hard landing".

"We have both the foundation and condition to maintain a medium to high speed in economic growth," the president said, citing the huge potential in the country's consumption and market.

"China's economy still maintains a strong momentum and will release greater development potential," he added.

Officials and experts also voiced hopes of a potential boost from the state visit to China's relationship with the European Union.

Vice-Foreign Minister Wang Chao said on Oct 13 that the visit "will surely lay a more solid foundation for China-EU relations".

Cameron said on Oct 21 that his country welcomes Chinese investment and supports China in reaching a free trade agreement with the European Union.

Zhao Huaipu, a professor of European studies at China Foreign Affairs University, notes that Britain is an important member state of the European Union, adding, "The perfect condition of the China-Britain relationship will serve as role model when other EU members are developing their relationships with China."

Xinhua News Agency contributed to this story.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/23/2015 page4)