On their tour of the northern England city, Xi-reported to be a Manchester United fan-will be accompanied by British Prime Minister David Cameron on a visit of City’s academy, officials and representatives of the club said.
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The two leaders achieved important consensus on bilateral relations as well as worldwide and regional hotspot issues, according to a statement issued after the Xi-Cameron meeting at 10 Downing Street.
The prime minister faces pressure from Eurosceptics inside his own Conservative Party as well as the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) and opinion polls indicate the referendum could be a close vote.
Before cycling off again the man tells the group of supporters that he has been “disgusted” to see CCP banners around London during the president’s visits, describing the organisation as one of the most “abusive political parties in the world”. “That’s Chinese investment partnering with British companies, creating thousands of jobs here and at the same time we can have a dialogue about hard issues from steel-making to human rights to cyber security”.
Cameron accompanied Xi on his tour of Manchester on Friday as the United Kingdom government tries to promote investment in the post-industrial cities of northern England.
The state-of-the-art training facility includes a 7,000 capacity stadium and 16 football pitches that can cater for over 450 players.
He will walk the diplomatic tightrope during his visit, where he is receiving the VIP treatment as he meets a host of former City players Mike Summerbee and Patrick Vieira. It’s was the first state visit by a Chinese President in ten years.
It is hoped that the extension of the validity period of British visas for Chinese tourists from its current six months to two years will attract more visitors from China and contribute to the British economy.
Xi has been greeted with elaborate British pomp and ceremony on the state visit, the first by a Chinese leader to Britain in a decade.
Conservative backbencher Fiona Bruce on Thursday demanded human rights and freedom of thought be placed at the “centre of this relationship”, while Tory former minister Tim Loughton asked why pro-Tibet protesters had not been allowed in view while Xi drove up the Mall.
Looking to the future, Xi said, China wishes to join hands with Britain “as we press forward in a spirit of mutual respect and equality and as we pool our efforts in the drive for mutually beneficial results”. “A partnership is a relationship where we do things together, like build nuclear power stations, invest in modern science, regenerate cities like Manchester”. But in the end, human rights usually take a back seat to economic interests.
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Xi also visited Manchester’s airport city and announced plans for direct flights between Manchester and Beijing.
