Image source, Getty Images

Here's an interview with BBC Monitoring’s Chinese media analyst Kerry Allen about the reaction there on official sources and social media to President Xi’s UK visit. 

Image source, Reuters

As President Xi prepares to give a speech inside Parliament, his supporters perform outside.

Linda Yueh, of the London Business School, says the focus for this state visit seems to be on investment and a potential "golden era", economically speaking, between the two countries - a situation she describes as "rather unusual". 

It's not, she argues, supposed to be purely a meeting of finance ministers.

We've also been given a peek at the postprandial entertainment.

We may have failed to find out what's on Buckingham Palace's dinner menu, but the monarchy Twitter account has happily posted an image from the lunch laid on for the Chinese party.

Looks very green, with a dash of hard-boiled egg. 

A BBC News website reporter has been bashing the phones, attempting to prise the state banquet menu from the grasp of the Buckingham Palace press office.

The palace, however, are having none of it, only saying that the menu will be released later this evening. 

The state banquet tonight promises to be a very swanky affair, with many important people attending the occasion.

Just in case anyone on the guest list happens to be reading this, here's another look at how you pronounce the names of the guests of honour.

Xi Jinping is pronounced SHEE jin PING - "sh" as in ship, "j" as in Jack.

His wife's name, Peng Liyuan is pronounced PUNG lee yue-AN - "u" as in bun, "ue" as in French vu. 

In case you missed it, here’s another look at a report from Tibet, where the BBC's John Sudworth asks what people there think of the UK strengthening ties with China.    

Image source, PA

The Chinese president has enjoyed a lavish welcome in the UK, as the BBC's Nicholas Witchell reports.

In the House of Commons, Labour’s Tristram Hunt asks Business Secretary Sajid Javid: “Can you explain what talks you are having this week with visiting Chinese officials on dumping, state aid and environmental regulation, and when will you stand up for Britain?"

Mr Javid responds: "This week there will... be announcements of further business from China incoming to Britain, opportunities for British companies to export to China, in total worth over £25bn to the British economy. That will help sustain thousands and thousands of jobs throughout the country."

Jeremy Corbyn's staff have refused to comment on what topics will be raised when the Labour leader meets the Chinese president. A statement will be issued after the two men meet, they say.

Image source, Reuters

Earlier, Prince Charles met President Xi Jinping at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in London.

BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt says the prince will be a "notable absentee" at the state banquet later.

The prince boycotted a similar event in 1999 because he "didn't approve of the Chinese regime" - but this time there has been no official explanation for why he will not attend the banquet, our correspondent adds.

Is Britain right to pursue a stronger relationship with China? Well, the Telegraph has picked out three polls, external of British people's views on China. According to the surveys, more than half of Britons think the Chinese economy will grow over the next 20 years, and China was the top choice when people were asked which country would be the UK's most valuable trading partner by that time. When asked if Britain should have closer or weaker trading ties with China, "closer" was the top choice, followed by "about the same", the paper reports.

The Daily Politics

Conservative Alan Mak, the UK's first ethnic Chinese MP, was asked on the BBC's Daily Politics earlier if it is wise to encourage so much Chinese investment in the UK.

He said the state visit by the Chinese president was "an important and positive visit for UK plc". It is "absolutely the right time" to be engaging "with the world's second largest economy", he added.

He insisted the government was "not afraid" to raise human rights with the regime, but said politicians could only have "frank discussions" if there were "strong, strategic economic" relations "and that is what we have got".  

Here are some more images of the pomp, ceremony and protest going on in London today, to mark the state visit of President Xi Jinping.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty Images

Carrie Gracie
China editor

This visit is hugely popular in China. The message is pretty much the same, whether you're looking at state media or social media. State media is saying this is the reddest of the red carpet for our president, and going big on all the angles in which he's being accorded particular honours. For a Chinese Communist leader it's very, very useful to be seen with a leader who rises above the political fray like the Queen. That kind of multi-century dignity and mystique is what a leader like President Xi is hoping for.

A word from the Westminster lobby on those conversations Norman Smith mentioned. David Cameron's official spokeswoman said he would raise the issue of steel in talks with President Xi at Downing Street on Wednesday, and she accepted that competitive pricing from China was not helping the industry. 

She continued:

Image source, Reuters

The BBC's royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell notes the cordial greeting that took place between Prince Charles and President Xi, but points out that this is the prince who infamously described a previous generation of Chinese leaders as "appalling old waxworks". 

Our correspondent does highlight the fact that Charles won't attend the state banquet tonight at Buckingham Palace - he has engaged with this visit, but only to a point.