What to expect from Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit

Now read Willy Lam on why Xi Jinping is a "21st Century Mao"

What's happening?

The President of China, Xi Jinping, is coming to the UK. The four-day tour includes meetings with the Queen and a dinner at Chequers, one of the Prime Minister's official residences. Given that it is now effectively written into British law that politicians can't tour the country without donning a hard hat and talking about the "northern powerhouse," Xi will also join George Osborne on a trip to Manchester's "National Graphene Institute" (don't tell me Britain can't throw a party) and will meet Paul Murphy, the Lord Mayor of Manchester. Xi is also said to have made a very particular request of his hosts: aides have reportedly made it clear that the President is very keen to visit a British pub and eat fish and chips.

Why does this matter?

China has long been considered the next global superpower—last year, some economists think its economy overtook America's as the largest in the world. Its defence spending is also rising: in May officials announced it would increase by 10 per cent in the coming year, the latest in a string of double-digit annual increases. In the light of its growing global importance, and perhaps with one eye on what many perceive as a retreat by the US from the internationalist stances it took in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Britain has been developing a closer relationship with China.

How close are Britain and China?

"Let's stick together and make a golden decade for both our countries." So said George Osborne, who completed his own state visit to the Asian powerhouse recently, about China. The Chancellor wants the China to become the UK's second-biggest trading partner by the end of the decade, and during this visit Xi is expected to sign several multi-billion pound business deals, including one boosting Chinese investment in the UK's nuclear power infrastructure. This recent warming  follows an 18 month freeze in relations between London and Beijing after the Prime Minister met with Tibetan leader the Dalhai Lama, a prominent critic of the Chinese regime, in 2012.

Why is this controversial?

Human rights activists question whether our government should be dealing so uncritically with a regime that has a history of oppressive justice and a poor record on free speech. Amnesty International, which says that China has targeted "at least 245 lawyers and activists... in an unprecedented nationwide campaign over the last 100 days," is organising a protest along with other human rights groups. The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will raise the issue in a private meeting with Xi. On a less moralistic note, many economists are sceptical about the future of the Chinese economy—they believe its most explosive years are behind it, and even fear it could be the root of the next global recession.

Read Mark Kitto on leaving China