China says Xi's visit to Britain was "successful" after the Queen calls Chinese officials "very rude"

Record ID: 104113

  • Title: China says Xi's visit to Britain was "successful" after the Queen calls Chinese officials "very rude"
  • Date: 11th May 2016
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MAY 11, 2016) (REUTERS) TELEVISION GOING BLACK AS BBC NEWS BULLETIN BEGINS TELEVISION WITH BLACK SCREEN BBC NEWS BULLETIN BACK ON TELEVISION CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN LU KANG WALKING IN FOR REGULAR BRIEFING MEDIA SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, LU KANG, SAYING: "President Xi's state visit to Britain last October was an extremely successful visit, and both sides' delegations made great efforts for this. Both China and Britain have recognised this to a high degree." JOURNALIST SEATED AUDIO OF JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "Could you confirm that the Golden Era of U.K.-China relations still is ongoing?" LU ASKING JOURNALIST TO REPEAT THE QUESTION AUDIO OF JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "Are we still in a period of golden relations?" (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, LU KANG, SAYING: "After President Xi's visit, the relationship between China and Britain has entered the "gold era". Both sides are working together to carry out the cooperation agreements signed during Xi's visit." MEDIA SEATED AUDIO OF JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "Apologies, I'm just not quite clear on your answer whether at this particular moment in time the golden era of U.K.-China relations still exists or not, or if it has in fact already ended. I sort of infer from what you said that it may be over." (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, LU KANG, SAYING: "What I want to say it that both sides have expressed the willingness to carry out the achievements made during President Xi's visit to Britain to push forward the healthy, stable and active China-Britain relationship. And all hope to be capable of achieving more pragmatic results. It certainly needs the joint efforts from two sides." AUDIO OF JOURNALIST ASKING (English): "So we are not in a period of golden relations?" / LU LAUGHING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, LU KANG, SAYING: "I don't know how to answer your question. You can compile all the answers I gave today and take a look." BRIEFING IN PROGRESS EXTERIOR OF CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG FLYING
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2016 11:46
  • Keywords: China Britain Queen rude Xi Jinping foreign ministry
  • Location: BEIJING, CHINA/LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
  • City: BEIJING, CHINA/LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0014HD5VLZ
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday (May 11) that President Xi Jinping's visit to Britain last year was "successful" after the Queen was caught on camera calling Chinese officials "very rude".
    Queen Elizabeth made the comment while speaking at a garden party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (May 10), the same day that Prime Minister David Cameron was filmed making undiplomatic remarks to her about corruption in Nigeria and Afghanistan.
    The BBC reported that items about the queen's remarks in China were censored from its news bulletins.
    Chinese authorities often censor items they object to from foreign news bulletins, which can only be seen by very few people in China as foreign TV channels are only allowed in high-end hotels and a tiny number of select apartment buildings.
    Xi's state visit to Britain last year was heralded by London as marking a "golden era" in relations with Beijing. The queen's remarks may not be helpful to the British government's determined efforts to boost trade ties with China.
    In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the visit had been "extremely successful" and both countries' officials had made great efforts to that end. "Both China and Britain have recognised this to a high degree," he said, adding that the relationship had entered a golden era after the visit.
    "What I want to say it that both sides have expressed the willingness to carry out the achievements made during President Xi's visit to Britain to push forward the healthy, stable and active China-Britain relationship. And all hope to be capable of achieving more pragmatic results. It certainly needs the joint efforts from two sides."
    After almost a dozen questions about the Queen's comments and U.K.-China relations, Lu said he did not know how to answer the question more clearly. "I don't know how to answer your question. You can compile all the answers I gave today and take a look," he said.
    Relations between London and Beijing have been complicated by the weight of history, particularly the 1860 Opium War when British and French troops stole piles of plunder from the Summer Palace in the Chinese capital, then burned it to the ground.
    In 2010, Cameron and a delegation of ministers caused offence during a visit to Beijing by wearing poppies - a symbol of remembrance of fallen troops for Britons, but in China a reminder of the opium trade that helped trigger the conflict.
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