– ‘Northern Powerhouse’ –
The British government is keen to show off its “Northern Powerhouse” project, in which councils in the post-industrial north of England are being given more powers in an attempt to stimulate their economies.
Xi had lunch with around 200 business and civic leaders at Manchester Town Hall, where hundreds of organised British-based Chinese greeted his arrival, waving Chinese flags handed out from cardboard boxes.
A small number of protesters were grouped with a banner demanding “Justice For Human Rights”.
As part of a raft of partnership deals, Hainan Airlines was expected to announce its first direct flights from Manchester Airport to China.
“China is a key trading partner for the UK and the partnerships being made today will see real investment going into the north,” Cameron said.
Queen Elizabeth II hosted Xi on the London leg of his trip, throwing a state banquet in his honour on Tuesday.
A clutch of business contracts, said by Cameron to be worth almost £40 billion ($61.6 billion, 54.4 billion euros), have been announced during Xi’s four-day visit, as well as the launch of the first yuan-denominated bond in London as China seeks to internationalise its currency.
The Financial Times newspaper said its analysis suggested the £40 billion estimate “may have involved some generous interpretation”, with Downing Street refusing to say how it had made its calculations.
On Thursday night, Cameron took Xi to a traditional British pub near the prime minister’s country residence for a portion of fish and chips, washed down with a pint of English ale.
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