City MP Richard Graham, who is chair of the All-Party Parliamentary China Group, will welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping personally to the House of Lords today.

From there, President Xi Jinping – who is visiting the UK from 20th-23rd October – will make the first address by a President of China in Parliament.

Speaking about the event, Richard commented, “The State Visit by President Xi Jinping will see significant announcements on infrastructure, energy, transport, finance and international co-operation.

“When I first worked in China she generated 2% of global GDP: today the figure is 15% and still growing. Critically Britain gets about a third of all inward Chinese investment in Europe and her capital can help Britain grow.

“Of course our countries have different systems and values, but increasingly similar social issues such as ageing societies, care, mental health and urban regeneration are where we can share best practice. I am working on Parliamentary seminars to take this forward.”