October 21, 2015, by Emma Lowry
Nottingham Vice-Chancellor attends royal banquet for Chinese President
The Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham was the only British university leader to attend a state banquet held for China’s President hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace last night (Tuesday 20 October 2015).
At the lavish dinner, Professor Sir David Greenaway thanked President Xi Jinping for his support for The University of Nottingham in Ningbo, China (UNNC) – the UK’s first campus in China.
He also talked to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Mme Peng Liyuan, the President’s wife, about The University of Nottingham’s many China connections.
The occasion also provided opportunities for the Vice-Chancellor to engage in wider discussions on UK-China relations with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron; Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK; Sajid Javid MP Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills; Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Lord Sassoon.
Professor Sir David Greenaway is one of a group of UK Vice-Chancellors selected to meet with President Xi again on Thursday 22 October at a London hotel to discuss educational links between Britain and China.
This select meeting is due to take place prior to a photo call with other British university leaders ahead of the opening ceremony of an education conference of the Confucius Institute in London.
The official visit, from 20-23 October, is the first the Chinese head of state has made to Britain in a decade. President Xi and his wife have already met with the Royal family, including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, addressed the House of Commons and met the British Prime Minister at Downing Street.
The Chinese delegation will also visit Huawei Technologies, a leading Chinese telecommunications company, followed by a banquet hosted by the Lord Mayor and the City of London at the Guildhall and attend the National Graphene Institute in Manchester before departing on Friday.
You can watch the official speeches from the banquet in the video below. It starts with Professor Sir David and Lady Susan Greenaway entering the hall.
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