Page 9 - ATD 23OCT,2015

WORLD NEWS 9
Friday 23 October 2015

China’s Xi says goodbye to queen, holds talks with Cameron

nights as the monarch’s ments — including a con- state media in China,
guest at Buckingham Pal- tentious nuclear power where the Communist Par-
ace. Xi will visit the north- deal — as Cameron said ty newspaper Global Times
west England city of Man- Britain sought to be China’s said “the Sino-U.K. relation-
chester on Friday to end his “partner of choice” in the ship will expect the harvest
four-day trip. West. of the ‘golden era.’”
Xi has been greeted with There have also been pro- It’s a marked change in
elaborate British pomp and tests by human rights activ- tone from Cameron’s trip to
ceremony on the state visit, ists and pro-Tibet groups, China in December 2013,
the first by a Chinese lead- and opposition politicians when the Global Times said
er to Britain in a decade. have urged Cameron to Britain was an old coun-
The two countries signed press Xi on China’s rights try, “easily replaceable in
more than 30 billion pounds record. China’s European foreign
($46 billion) in trade agree- The trip has dominated policy.”q

Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, right, drinks beer with
Chinese President Xi Jinping, at a pub in Princess Risborough,
near Chequers, England, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015. The two lead-
ers met for talks and dinner at the prime minister’s official coun-
try residence Thursday, during a state visit hailed as a landmark
by both China and Britain.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, pool)

JILL LAWLESS differences over issues such
Associated Press as human rights, promising
LONDON (AP) — British a relationship of “mutual
Prime Minister David Cam- respect” that recognized
eron discussed the fight “the importance each side
against war and terrorism attaches to its own politi-
— and had a drink in a pub cal system, development
— with Chinese President path, core interests and
Xi Jinping on Thursday dur- major concerns.”
ing a state visit hailed as a Cameron’s office said
landmark by both nations. Thursday’s talks would fo-
The two leaders met for cus on international affairs
talks and dinner at the and how China can help
prime minister’s official battle extremism.
country residence, Che- Western governments are
quers. keenly interested in China’s
Beforehand, Cameron response to the war in Syria.
took Xi to a traditional pub China had joined Russia to
nearby for a pint of English block a series of Western
ale and a taste of British fish resolutions at the United
and chips. Nations against Syrian Pres-
In a joint statement be- ident Bashar Assad’s gov-
fore the meeting, they ernment.
said stronger U.K.-China Russia has stepped up a
ties were of “global signifi- military intervention in Syria
cance and strategic im- that it says targets the Is-
portance.” lamic State group but that
The Chinese president’s Britain and others say seeks
visit has drawn protests in to prop up Assad.
the streets and criticism in Earlier, Xi and his wife said
Parliament. But Cameron goodbye to Queen Eliza-
and Xi downplayed their beth II after spending two