Chinese president visits London

Tuesday, 8 November 2005 12:00 AM

The president of China arrives in London today for a three-day state visit aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations.

Hu Jintao will meet with the Queen, Tony Blair and foreign secretary Jack Straw, to discuss economic relations between Britain and China, as well as security and climate change.

Protests against the country's human rights record are expected over the next few days, and yesterday the prime minister conceded that some people would be opposed to Mr Hu's visit.

"People are perfectly entitled to wear 'Free Tibet' t-shirts or anything else. We live in a democratic country," he told reporters, in reference to criticism about China's presence in the Himalayan region.

During his monthly press conference, Mr Blair said economic relations would be high on the agenda, as would "the current security preoccupations in the world".

"We will also discuss issues to do with climate change where the Chinese have taken part very constructively in the G8 plus five dialogue last week," he said.

"And it will give me an opportunity also to hear from the president as to how economic and political development is progressing in China."

China has experienced massive growth in recent years and is now the world's third largest exporter behind the US and Germany. However, despite embracing the free market, Mr Hu's regime maintains strict controls over its citizens.

Campaigners will be hoping that human rights will be on the agenda, but there are some who believe Mr Hu's presence should not have been given the status of an official state visit.

Brian Coleman, deputy chair of the London Assembly, drew comparisons with the visit of Romanian dictator Nikolai Ceausescu in 1978, claiming that the Chinese president "personifies the degradation of human rights and the rejection of democracy".

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