It was a rare mention of another country’s planned vote by China, which does not like to interfere in internal affairs, and was quickly played down by a Cameron aide, who said the European Union “wasn’t a huge part of their discussion”.
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However, this selfie proves that someone was happy to see Xi, at least.
Organized crowds waving Chinese flags greeted Xi throughout, outnumbering pro-Tibet and human rights protesters concerned about the lavish welcome accorded to Xi.
Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing said it was “not enough” for Cameron to raise concerns over the city’s political freedom to Xi in a closed-door meeting.
The trip also took Xi to the old industrial city of Manchester in northern England.
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.
City’s Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said that Mr Xi’s visit was “testament” to the club’s strong links with China and to its “ambitions for them to deepen and grow”.
“I feel that this is a powerful time in UK-China relations, the outcomes of President Xi’s visit are reflective of this with important announcements in several key sectors of our economies such as low-carbon transportation, energy, property, education and infrastructure”, said James Brodie, Britain-China Business Council Scotland Manager.
As seen in pictures surfacing the net, human rights demonstrators held up protest banner bearing an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping before he passed by on a horse-drawn carriage with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on the Mall en route to Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday.
He said the United Kingdom was ideally placed to promote European trade with China. “A partnership is a relationship where we do things together, like build nuclear power stations, invest in modern science, and regenerate cities like Manchester”.
“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”.
Mr Xi visited the club’s 80 acre youth development and first team training site in central Manchester on Friday.
Cameron also announced that Chinese visitors to Great Britain will be able to obtain tourist visas with a validity of two years starting in 2016.
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Shao Jiang, a survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre now based in Britain, said he was shocked to be tackled by police after holding placards in front of Xi’s motorcade in London, and to learn his home had been searched and computers seized while he was in custody.
