Meets Queen

The Queen welcomes Chinese president Xi Jinping at Buckingham Palace ahead of a state banquet on the first day of his visit.

By Faisal Islam, Political Editor

Chinese president Xi Jinping has met the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh ahead of his address to Parliament this afternoon.

David Cameron hailed a new "Golden Era" in UK-Chinese
relations as Mr Xi officially began his state visit to Britain by taking
part in a procession to Buckingham Palace with his wife Peng Liyuan.
Mr Xi was welcomed for a stay at the palace by the Queen and
the Duke of Edinburgh and will attend a state banquet in his honour
this evening.
There will also be visits to Chequers, where he has
requested a meal of fish and chips, and to Manchester, which is at the
centre of theNorthern Powerhouse in which Chancellor George Osborne is
seeking Chinese investment.

Campaigners protest over China's human rights record

The sheer scale of the visit is a result of years of effort
from Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne to re-calibrate Britain's relationship
with China.
The Prime Minister says £30bn worth of trade and investment
deals will be completed - creating 3,900 jobs in energy, transport,
retail, and property.

Video:We Are Not China's Servants

Mr Xi has met Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall,
and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the state banquet this
evening, as will Mr Cameron and the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
The president will address MPs and peers in Parliament at 4pm.
There were clashes between human rights protesters and
Chinese supporters during demonstrations ahead of Mr Xi's procession to
the palace.

Video:Chinese President Arrives In UK

The police were