President Hu heads to Germany after London visit
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-11-10 00:46

Chinese President Hu Jintao has left Britain for Germany as part of a European tour in which he has deepened trade and economic links.

China's President Hu Jintao and his wife Madame Liu Yongqing pose at Buckingham Palace. [AFP]

Hu left the splendour of Buckingham Palace, where he and his wife Liu Yongqing had been guests of Queen Elizabeth II during a state visit since Tuesday, at 9:10am (0910 GMT) on Thursday, royal officials told AFP.

The president's visit to London was the first stop on a European tour that also takes in Germany and Spain.

His delegation was due to arrive in Berlin at 1430 GMT before another round of official ceremonies and diplomatic meetings with senior politicians.

German President Horst Koehler will officially welcome Hu in the German capital before the Chinese president addresses the business community.

Meetings with incoming chancellor Angela Merkel and outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder are scheduled for Friday while an announcement is expected on a deal to buy German-built high-speed trains.

Details of lucrative deals with several British-based companies worth a total of 783 million pounds (1.2 billion euros, 1.3 billion dollars) were revealed Wednesday after talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"I see the great potential for future growth and I am happy about it," Hu told chief executives and chairmen of some of Britain's top companies at a meeting of the China-Britain Business Council, also in London on Wednesday.

To lift barriers to China's full participation in the worldwide community such as the current EU arms embargo, Hu has to be more specific about his plans for the future, Professor Zheng Yongnian, from the China Policy Institute at the University of Nottingham, central England, said.

"The problem for the EU is that China needs to be clearer about what direction they are moving in. They're still pretty vague," Zheng said.