Prince William takes on diplomatic role
BEIJING: Prince William presented China’s president with an invitation from Queen Elizabeth for him to visit Britain this year, as the prince on yesterday began the first official trip to mainland China by a senior British royal in a generation.
President Xi Jinping told the prince that he thanked Queen Elizabeth II for the invitation. “I look forward to meeting Her Majesty and other British leaders during the visit and to jointly plan out the future of Sino-British relations,’’ Mr Xi said during the meeting in the Great Hall of the People, the seat of China’s legislature. “The British royal family has great influence, not just in Britain but across the world.’’
The prince’s three-day trip to Beijing, Shanghai and Southwest China, near the border with Myanmar, is testing his diplomatic mettle as the second in line to the throne.
Prince William told Mr Xi and the rest of the Chinese delegation, including Yang Jiechi, the government’s senior foreign policy adviser, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, that he was looking forward to strengthening relations between the countries.
“I’m particularly interested in the young people and seeing how the next generation develops and is aware of the world as it is,’’ he added.
Earlier yesterday, Prince William told a boy he might be able to make his dream of singing opera in a palace come true as he met with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He made the comment as he toured a traditional Beijing courtyard residence dating from the 1890s that has been restored and turned into a museum with help from charities related to his father, Prince Charles: the Prince of Wales’s China Foundation and The Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities.
He spent most of his time chatting with representatives of charities helping children with hearing and visual impairments, whose parents are migrant workers or in prison, and some of the young people they work with.
Zhao Chen, 14, who is visually impaired and wants to be a tenor, told the prince: “My dream is to go to your palace to sing opera.”
The prince replied: “Well, you have met the right man. We might be able to arrange something.”
Before he left, Prince William was presented with a picture drawn by a 10-yearold of crops, lush vegetation and bright pink, red and blue buildings.
“That will look nice in George’s bedroom,” he said, referring to his one-yearold son.
Prince William also had a stroll in the Forbidden City, where emperors once resided, and had a meeting with Premier Li Keqiang, after which culture officials from both countries signed an agreement marking the start of a year of cultural exchange between Britain and China.
The prince was to open an exhibition in Shanghai last night that showcases British innovation in entertainment, design, health care and fashion and meet with Chinese business leaders.
His final stop in China is Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, where he will visit an elephant sanctuary tomorrow.