Two previous Chinese presidents have been granted state visits to Britain, in 1999 and 2005, but on neither occasion was the red carpet rolled out with quite so much gusto as it was for Xi Jinping this week. As well as the usual pomp, pageantry and banquets in white tie at Buckingham Palace and the Guildhall in the City of London, there was an almost bewildering variety of official visits to squeeze into the president's four-day trip, from universities to football clubs, from London to Manchester. Mr Xi even addressed both houses of Parliament, a privilege reserved for very few dignitaries.
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