Xi lands in London to start state visit

President Xi Jinping arrived in London on Monday evening, embarking on the first state visit to the United Kingdom of a Chinese head of state in 10 years.

"China attaches great importance to growing relations with the UK. I look forward to having an indepth exchange of views with British leaders on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues and also meeting people from sectors across British society to discuss the future of our ties and draw a grand blueprint for our cooperation," Xi said upon his arrival at Heathrow Airport.

He and his wife, Peng Liyuan, were greeted by Viscount Hood and Philip Hammond, the British secretary of state for foreign and Commonwealth affairs, on behalf of the Queen.

Xi will be received by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremonial welcoming at the Royal Pavilion on Horse Guards Parade on Tuesday, before traveling to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession along the Mall. Xi will be entertained at a state banquet hosted by the queen on Tuesday evening.

In addition to staying at the palace, Xi and first lady Peng Liyuan will be welcomed on Thursday at Chequers, a tranquil house in the countryside that has hosted foreign dignitaries since becoming the official retreat of prime ministers in 1921.

The use of Chequers is generally interpreted as a sign of particular warmth in a relationship.

Michael Barr, a senior lecturer at Newcastle University who has written extensively about soft power, said that the gesture shows that Britain attaches great importance to its relationship with China.

"This could be seen as Britain responding to the US as much as it is to China. During Xi's first visit to the US, he met Obama at the Sunnylands ranch, which is a more informal, relaxed atmosphere. And during Xi's recent trip to the US he toured around extensively and was shown the red carpet, so to speak. In this respect, Britain is competing with the US. So if he (Cameron) didn't host Xi in a more relaxed environment, we'd be asking why not?" said Barr.

For Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World, the announcement in March that the UK would become a founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank set the course for the new relationship.

Jacques said he believed Britain was signaling to the United States that this was the beginning of a new world financial order that was not just based on the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement, which led to the setting up of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Rana Mitter, director of the Dickson Poon China Centre at Oxford University and author of China's War With Japan, 1937-45: The Struggle for Survival, said he believes that if Xi's visit heralds a new era of cooperation between the UK and China, it will not be for the first time.

"Yes, of course, 150 years ago, the Opium Wars were a historical disgrace, but I think it is worth remembering that a century later the two sides were allies during World War II."

Kerry Brown, director of the China Studies Centre at Sydney University and associate fellow on the Asia program at foreign policy think tank Chatham House, hopes Xi's visit will herald a change of thinking about China in the UK.

"It would be good to see this visit contribute to creating a more creative and imaginative relationship, and a wider public interest in the role of China in the UK, embracing not just economic but also cultural understanding and engagement," Brown said.