President Xi comes to Imperial

On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping stopped off at Imperial to celebrate collaboration between Chinese institutions and the College. Imperial proudly repeated the statistic that since 2003, the number of UK papers published in Nature with a co-author in China had jumped from 3% to 22%.

President Jinping, affectionately nicknamed Xi Dada by his fans, was given a drawing of Queen’s Tower and two 3D printed models of the Great Wall of China, one the width of a human hair.

Accompanied by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, and Imperial regular Prince Andrew, Xi met President of Imperial College Alice Gast and several students during his visit.

Xi held an umbrella as Professor Gast walked him across Dalby Court from the business school to the Hamlyn Centre. Some Chinese news agencies misreported that she was merely a “tour guide”, rather than a woman earning over £400,000 a year to lead Imperial.

Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, a famous folk singer in her own right, also came along. She was given a cape by the Data Science Institute, whose scientists had analysed 700 photos of her to get accurate measurements and design ideas for the item. A UK based Chinese designer then made the piece. The MailOnline reported that Peng “dissolved in laughter” at the gift, making this, we think, the first sidebar of shame click-bait article to come out of Imperial College.

The MailOnline reported that Peng “dissolved in laughter” at the gift, making this, we think, the first sidebar of shame click-bait article to come out of Imperial College.

On Thursday, the first lady returned to South Kensington to visit the Royal College of Music. She was seen emerging from the building with our very own Professor of Science and Society, the broadcaster Lord Robert Winston. While his extensive tax credit cuts were being discussed at Prime Minister’s Questions, George Osborne was waltzing about the business school foyer. At one point Alice Gast made a speech directly addressing the unpopular politician.

“Chancellor, you have said that you aim to make the UK ‘China’s best partner in the west’. Imperial College London strives to be just that.”

Xi and his wife have been staying at Buckingham Palace during their four day visit. This trip paid off for Imperial quicker than you might have imagined possible.

Before President Xi even arrived, a plaque was unveiled to celebrate a £3 million donation from a Chinese financial services company. The Hamlyn Centre for medical robotics and the Data Science Institute will benefit from the perfectly timed gift. Just in time for the visit, Imperial’s Associate Provost of Academic Partnerships, Professor Maggie Dallman described the Chinese student body in sweeping terms in an article for China Daily.

“Almost every day I meet brilliant Chinese students,” she said, adding that the Chinese community at Imperial “are no shrinking violets.”

According to college, there are 2000 Chinese students currently studying at Imperial. One such student, Hongze Zou, told FELIX he thought the trip was “a good opportunity for Chinese students and the school”. Several others commented on how exciting it was to see their home country’s leader in their university town.

“[His] visit and Britain’s hospitality show that both countries are willing to resolve current issues.” said Xinyang Yuan. A popular leader back home, Xi’s father held important roles within Chairman Mao’s government, before being imprisoned during the cultural revolution.

Although commonly referred to as ‘president’ for western appetites, Xi’s official title is General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. He’s spoken openly about his aims to end corruption at the highest levels. However, his visit has been met with some criticism. Pockets of protesters lined Pall Mall as Xi made a journey down the road to Buckingham Palace in a carriage. The BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, asked Mr Xi why the British public would want to do business with a country with such a “deeply troubling attitude to human rights”. The British steel industry is also unhappy over the visit, as it coincides with parts of a large steel corporation here going into administration, which many say is down to the influx of a cheaper Chinese product.