UK readies red carpet for a 'golden era' of China-UK relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with British Prime Minister David Cameron in The Hague, the Netherlands, March 25, 2014.[Photo/Xinhua]

The royal cutlery is being polished, the best royal linen, china and crystal are being chosen and the brightest and the most plush red carpet is being selected to be rolled out to give a taste of the British hospitality to the Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan for their first state visit to the United Kingdom, this visit holds a lot of significance for the both countries, as such a visit has come after 10 years when President Hu Jintao made a state visit in 2005.

The planning committees on both ends for this visit have been very busy trying to fine tune everything and paying attention to detail. The 'Royal Chef', Mark Flanagan, and his team have been busy in getting things ready for preparing the meals. Even the menu of the welcome Buckingham Palace luncheon is being cautiously selected. Careful consideration is being given to the fact that, whether it will be best to serve seasonal Turbot and crab for the starter or to go ahead with smoked fish.

The media is a buzz with anxiousness of TV anchors and columnists in expressing what new landmarks this "golden era of Sino-UK relations "will yield. The pundits are predicting a fruitful and successful state visit. The communications secretary to the Queen has already issued a statement:

"The President of The People's Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping, accompanied by Madame Peng Liyuan, has accepted an invitation from Her Majesty The Queen to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from 20th to 23rd October 2015. The President and Madame Peng will stay at Buckingham Palace."

A grand welcome awaits the Chinese President and the series of events that will take place in President Xi's visit start with the welcoming from the Queen Elizabeth II, the President and his wife will be attending the Horse Guards Parade and are expected to attend an unofficial luncheon and a welcoming banquet at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen, President Xi will hold talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and will visit the Parliament and meet leaders of opposition parties, he will also address a banquet hosted by Lord Mayor of the City of London. He will meet and talk with members of the royal family during his stay in London. After London, President Xi will travel to Manchester where, he will attend a banquet and visit research projects and local businesses.

Various leaders are hailing the Chinese president's visit in high spirits, Oliver Letwin, member of the conservative party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, termed relations with China reaching new highs and in a speech to honor the Chinese national day, this September, he indicated that the Sino-UK relations are moving towards a "golden decade" which meant that, with President Xi's state visit expectations in the UK are for forging a deep-rooted partnership with China.

The tone for President Xi's first state visit to the UK and the future of Sino-UK relations was set on 12th March 2015 when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne announced Great Britain's willingness to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a prospective founding member, making UK the first Western member to do so.

The UK is expecting the deepening of commercial ties between the two countries after this historic state visit, there is hope that this visit will translate in to heterogeneity in investment in the UK and that China and the UK can bridge partnerships in sharing technology. There is expectation for progress in trade and economic cooperation, which has already been on the rise, as in 2014 it reached $ 80.9 billion, which is a 15.3% rise from the previous year. Many deals in the energy sector, financial markets, real-estate, field of medicine and automobiles are on the cards. Among all these deals the British are in anticipation of two major deals which involve the nuclear deal and the deal involving the high-speed rail. As far as the nuclear deal is concerned the UK Chancellor Mr. Osborne is expectant of an investment deal for the Hinkley Point nuclear power station and to sweeten the deal he has offered an initial ?2bn government guarantee. As far as the high-speed rail is concerned the British parliamentarians have been pondering over the financing of the HS2 rail link, Mr. Osborne made a trip earlier this year to China, in order to pursue Chinese investors for the bidding of this project and President Xi's state visit promises deals in this endeavor.

Moreover for China this trip also means a lot, because with this visit China can forge partnerships in many areas with the UK. A major trade partner in Western Europe a significant member of the EU; holds tremendous promise, as the respective advantages of each country when combined can yield greater results. China can bring to the table its economical equipment manufacturing capabilities plus monetary capital, while Britain has to offer its expertise in technology, management techniques and financial services. Once these are combined mechanisms can be devised which can put the two countries in a partnership to tap markets in other countries which will complement each other's economies immensely.

The Author: Shafei Moiz Hali has a master's degree from George Mason University, Virginia, USA in the field of International Commerce and Public Policy. Mr. Hali has been working as an Assistant Professor at the National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan with the department of Government and Public Policy Since 2009. Currently he is pursuing his PhD from the College of Public Administration at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China.