Pageantry and Protests Welcome China's Xi Jinping to Britain

LONDON: Chinese President Xi Jinping rode in a gilded carriage to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday after a royal salute began a pomp-laden visit Britain hopes will secure investment but which has drawn criticism over human rights.

With a few dozen protesters outnumbered by the thousands of China supporters thronging The Mall, one of London's most famous avenues, Xi and Queen Elizabeth rode by in a closed carriage to the palace for a private lunch.

It was a welcome steeped in pageantry, underlining the importance of Xi's visit to London, which Prime Minister David Cameron hopes will cement a lucrative place for Britain as China's closest friend in the West.

Alternately hailed as the start of a 'golden era' or 'golden time' in Sino-British relations, the visit, which will seal billions of pounds in deals, has been criticised by activists who accuse Cameron of turning a blind eye to rights abuses.

It has also ruffled feathers among some of Britain's traditional allies, such as the United States, where Xi's visit last month was tainted by friction over cyber-theft and Beijing's moves in Asian maritime disputes.

Police made sure the few dozen protesters had little chance of disrupting a carefully choreographed ceremony which included Xi accompanying the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's husband, to inspect the guard of honour before leading the procession.

Those protesting against China's human rights record were kept far from the procession, with their banners all but eclipsed by 'I love China' flags.

Shouting "Don't trade away human rights" and "China: Buying UK's silence on Tibet", protesters expressed support for the Falun Gong, the spiritual sect banned as a cult in China, and called for independence for the people of Tibet.

Others took aim at what they called Xi's crackdown on civil liberties since he took power in 2012. The visit "shows that England is not giving a damn about human rights," said Aisha Nahmmacher, 24, from south London.

But they were drowned out by the thousands of supporters who banged drums and held large portraits of Xi as they posed for photographs in front of Buckingham Palace, where Xi and his wife will stay as guests of the Queen.

Charm Offensive

For Britain, the four-day state visit is the culmination of a three-year charm offensive to attract investment in infrastructure, nuclear power and the government's planned transformation of northern England.

One deal expected to be signed during Xi's visit is a plan for two state-owned Chinese utilities to invest in a 16 billion pound ($25-billion) nuclear power project being built by French utility EDF at Hinkley Point in southwest England.

Britain has won praise from China for its discretion in dealing with human rights issues by raising them behind the scenes, a policy London says is more effective than hectoring Beijing publicly.

A visit to China last month by Finance Minister George Osborne sealed the deal, with influential Chinese tabloid the Global Times praising his "etiquette".

Cameron has said he will not duck sensitive issues like the impact of cheap Chinese imports on struggling British steel-makers, however, and main opposition party leader Jeremy Corbyn has promised to raise rights when he meets Xi later on Tuesday.

Xi may express China's hopes that the European Union remains united -- a thorny subject for Cameron, who has pledged to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the European Union before a referendum to be held by the end of 2017.

But any such sour notes, including Prince Charles' decision to not attend a state banquet, are unlikely to spoil a visit that has been long in the making.

Britain was the top destination for Chinese money in 2014, with $5.1 billion in investment, according to law firm Baker & McKenzie. This year, it became the first Western nation to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank after Washington had pressed allies not to join.

In a pointed commentary before Xi's arrival in Britain, Global Times suggested that critics were jealous. "Apparently the concept of a 'golden era' between the two countries has made some people uncomfortable," it said in an editorial.

"This has hurt the twisted dignity of those who still consider the West the centre of the world."