Top hoteliers serve senior foreign officials
As UK Prime Minister Theresa May completes her latest visit to China to boost bilateral cooperation, comparisons can be made with the visits of previous British leaders.
For a start, here’s a look at some of the hotels that have accommodated prime ministers in China while they were in office.
On a two-day visit in December 2013, David Cameron stayed at the Grand Hyatt Beijing and InterContinental Shanghai Ruijin.
The Beijing hotel is located at the crossroads of Chang’an Avenue and Wangfujing Street and is part of the Oriental Plaza, one of China’s largest commercial complexes. With the hotel’s prime location, It takes just a few minutes to walk to the Forbidden City and Tian’anmen Square.
InterContinental Shanghai Ruijin previously served as the State Guest House of Shanghai, offering hospitality services to national leaders. The classically styled hotel has a rich history of serving Chinese historical figures and was the headquarters of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai in the 1940s.
Gordon Brown stayed at Grand Millennium Beijing on a visit in June 2011. The hotel is located close to many world-leading fashion outlets, cultural sites and art galleries. It is also not far from China Central Television headquarters and many leading financial organizations.
Shanghai Xijiao State Guest Hotel welcomed Brown as a guest in January 2008. Founded in 1960, the hotel is one of the largest five-star garden guest houses in Shanghai.
An informal meeting of the state council of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the fifth anniversary event of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and APEC Summit were held at the hotel.
Tony Blair stayed at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center in October 2003. The hotel is located in the heart of Beijing’s diplomatic and business district. Its impressive blend of historic and modern architecture make it one of the landmarks in the capital.
The St. Regis Beijing welcomed Blair in 1998. The luxury hotel has accommodated dozens of world leaders, business tycoons and celebrities.
The hotel has hosted a number of important international conferences, including the China-Africa Cooperation Forum, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit and the Six-Party Talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia participating.
Margaret Thatcher stayed at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in 1991. As China’s official guesthouse for foreign leaders and diplomatic delegations, the hotel is a complex combining a historic hotel and guesthouses. It was used as the residence of Chairman Mao Zedong from 1966 to 1976.