President Jiang Zemin will be confronted by Falun Gong practitioners when he arrives in London today for the first state visit by a Chinese leader.
Members of Chinese dissident groups and campaigners for a free Tibet are co-ordinating their demonstrations to ensure the President is reminded of their causes during his four-day official visit to Britain.
But the Falun Gong practitioners are planning more peaceful protests in an attempt to persuade Mr Jiang to lift the ban imposed on the group on the mainland.
'We are certainly not interested in throwing eggs or hiring a truck with loudspeakers to proclaim our cause like some other groups,' the organiser of the Falun Gong protesters, Li Shao, said.
'As a spiritual group we will be organising peaceful protests but we certainly hope Mr Jiang sees us and understands something about what our group stands for.' The group hopes to get permission to hold a candle-light vigil in the centre of London tomorrow night while a banquet is being given in the President's honour at Buckingham Palace.
But the group also plans to follow the President throughout his visit and carry out Falun Gong exercises so he could see how peaceful the group is.
'We hope to be able to practise all five of our exercises,' Mr Li said.