Shared love of booze, Beckham
From binge drinking and David Beckham to the Labour Party's role in recognising Communist China, Chinese state media have kicked into overdrive to praise Sino-British relations and point out shared interests as President Xi Jinping is feted in London. Vitriolic blasts in China's tightly controlled government press - which maintained that Britain was good for little more than museums and education - have been replaced by warm, if sometimes rather odd, compliments for Britain.Images have been plastered across television and newspapers of the pomp and pageantry of Xi's welcome, especially the involvement of Britain's royal family.The official China Daily has put a video on its website listing 29 things the Chinese and the British share, including binge drinking, unhealthy food and "adorable creatures" like pandas, and David Beckham."Now we are becoming close friends," it concludes.Even Xi himself has got in on the love-in, quoting Shakespeare in a speech. ..
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