Britain: Chinese airline flies direct to Manchester

many people go to one to relax and chat with friends.

“The prime minister bringing Xi to the pub means that he treats Xi as a friend and such a gesture is generally interpreted as a sign of particular warmth in a relationship,” he said.

After the presidential patronage, the pub shot to fame in China and has since become a tourist attraction, with busloads of Chinese tourists arriving to sample the same classic British fare.

Last December, Hollings sold the pub to a Chinese investor.

“It has piqued a lot of Chinese tourists’ interest,” said Liam Jones, the pub’s deputy manager. “We receive a lot of Chinese tourist groups, ranging from a table of four to a table of 14. Usually, it’s always what the president ordered, the fish and chips with a pint of IPA (short for India pale ale).”

Viral selfie

As part of the trip, Xi took a tour around the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s ground, where the team’s striker, Sergio Aguero, took a selfie with Xi and Cameron.

Aguero recalled: “We were at the training complex and the prime minister was there with President Xi. The president said to me, ‘I remember you, you scored a goal.’ We were laughing a little, and as we were walking along I felt confident to ask, ‘Can I take a selfie with you?’ The prime minister joined, and we took a selfie.”

The Argentine striker posted the picture on Manchester City’s official Twitter feed, writing in both Chinese and English, “Thank you for the selfie, President Xi.”

He said he could never imagine what happened next. The selfie went viral, spreading across the world widely on social media.

“Every person in the world asks me about the selfie,” he said. “It was really a beautiful moment that will live long in my memory.”

Following Xi’s visit, Manchester City has become one of the most popular Premier League clubs in China.

Later that year, China Media Capital bought 13 percent of the club’s parent company, City Football Group, for 265 million pounds ($400 million), forging a close relationship between China and the club.

“We have a lot of interest in China and we also have a lot people and resources in helping China develop its football,” Ferran Soriano, the club’s chief executive officer, said. “We see China as a land of opportunity for global football.”

He added: “There is no doubt that if China invests the right thing with the right patience, in 10 years, you will be one of the biggest football countries in the world.”

Manchester link

Xi’s visit to Manchester in 2015 was an attempt to cement the relationship between China and the Northern Powerhouse, a project to create an economic area in northern England that could rival London.

New direct flights between Manchester and Beijing, operated by Hainan Airlines, were announced during the visit and the first flight took off last June, providing the UK’s only direct connection outside of London.

A 130 million pound project, the China Cluster, was unveiled to provide a commercial base for Chinese businesses in the UK.

“I think the relationship between China and Manchester is a long-lasting consequence,” said O’Neill, adding that he believes the Chinese people understand the Northern Powerhouse in a way that many other countries do not.

“For Chinese policymakers, the idea of trying to shift regional economic growth is something that China has done quite successfully over the past 20 years,” O’Neill said.

Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airport Group, who welcomed Xi at the airport, said the president is seen as “somebody who’s interested in global connectivity, somebody who’s interested in helping businesses to develop relationships across continents and across countries, and certainly somebody who’s very insightful”.

“I think most people in his company and in his presence that day were actually very impressed by the Chinese president,” said Cornish, who said he believes the president’s visit acted as a catalyst for business-to-business connectivity.

Cornish noted the bilateral relationship in recent years has raised the level of interest in Britain and the number of Chinese visitors has grown.

“There are more businesses connecting into China from the Northwest now, so there are lots of really good signs about a developing relationship,” he said. “I think most people in the UK, certainly Northern Powerhouse, are getting confidence in the Chinese president. He certainly seems to be a man that is very competent and is getting a great deal of creditability on the world stage.” Zhang Yangfei and Xinhua contributed to this story Contact the writers at wangmingjie@ mail.chinadailyuk.com