New era in Sino-UK relationship delivers expectations

Xi talks with Cameron at the pub in Princes Risborough on Oct 22, 2015. [Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

After the visit of President Xi Jinping to the UK, what conclusions can we take from it?

Everything seems to have gone well with the serious business of talks between the heads of two governments being surrounded by the pomp, ceremony and tradition that Britain does so well.

Any serious dialogue between the governments can only be a good thing and hopefully the official line that this visit will create a new golden era in UK- China relations. I suppose that as I have a foot in both countries so to speak I maybe more affected than most.

Some people have accused the UK of kowtowing to China but I disagree, a reported ￡30 billion (nearly 300 billion yuan) worth of deals have been agreed in the space of four days and the UK government has only done what any self respecting business would do in looking after the buyer, this makes sense in any relationship and let's face it, this is a business on a grand scale.

The talks did not only focus only on business but many other things including foreign policy matters relating to both the Ukraine and Syria and regional security in Asia and the Pacific, talking about such matters and learning to understand each other's viewpoints can only be seen as a positive and should help reduce future misunderstandings.

It is not possible to cover all details in a small article but to sum up, the visit seems to have been a success and a win-win situation for both sides, only time will tell but hopefully this is the first step on a long ladder leading to better understanding and co-operation between these two great countries.

Andy Lambert, is a senior reader blogger on the China Daily website from the UK.