Xi Jinping to make first state visit to Britain in 2015, UK foreign minister reveals
Hugo Swire, citing strained diplomatic ties between London and Beijing after the parliamentary probe into Hong Kong, said: “It is going to be an extraordinarily important year this year.”
President Xi Jinping will make his first state visit to Britain this year, a senior UK government minister has revealed.
Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire, who has oversight on relations with China including Hong Kong, revealed the upcoming visit while he testified in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee as part of an inquiry into post-handover affairs in Hong Kong.
Swire said Xi would arrive “later in the year”. No exact date has been released.
Swire, citing strained diplomatic ties between London and Beijing after the parliamentary probe into Hong Kong’s democratic development, said: “It is going to be an extraordinarily important year this year.”
Despite warnings from Beijing not to interfere in Hong Kong affairs, Britain launched the probe last July to examine the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which states that Hong Kong should have a high degree of autonomy and executive power, and that personal rights must be enshrined by law.
China banned British lawmakers from travelling to Hong Kong on November 28, while mass pro-democracy protests were ongoing in the territory.