Dutch delight, french flavor
President Xi Jinping will end an 11-day visit of four West European countries on April 1, a trip in which his agenda was to range from talks on weighty nuclear and economic issues to tasting wine and visiting pandas in a Belgian zoo.
On the visit, his first to Western Europe since becoming China's leader a little more than year ago, Xi was being accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan.
On the first stop of the tour, the Netherlands, he met King Willem Alexander and the country's Prime Minister, Mark Rutte. He also attended the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.
He and his wife later flew to Lyon, where a visit to a university hall of residence with close historic links to China was scheduled. The couple were then due to fly to Paris and meet President Francois Hollande. Among other things, they were to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between their two countries.
On March 28, Xi was due to arrive in Germany for two days and hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel.
On the last leg of the trip he was to travel to Brussels and meet leaders of both Belgium and the EU.
| President Xi Jinping and King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands review an honor guard when Xi arrived at Amsterdam Shiphol Airport on March 22. Koen Van Weel / AFP |
| Xi and Peng with King Willem Alexander, Queen Maxima (second right) and Princess Beatrix at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Ju Peng / Xinhua |
| Peng Liyuan, blesses a new type of tulip - named Cathay - in Lisse, the Netherlands. Lan Hongguang / Xinhua |
| Xi and Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands meet in The Hague. Paul Vreeker / Reuters |
| Leaders at the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague on March 24. Koen Van Weel / AFP |
| President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrive at Lyon Saint-Exupery Airport on March 25. Pang Xinglei / Xinhua |
| Xi meets his French counterpart Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 26. Benoit Tessier / Reuters |
| Xi with France's foreign affairs minister Laurent Fabius at the airport in Lyon. Jeff Pachoud / AFP |
| Wine tasting during a display by local producers before the town hall dinner. Laurent Cipriani / Reuters |
| Xi visits the BioMerieux pharmaceutical research center in Marcy-l'Etoile, near Lyon, on March 26. Robert Pratta / Reuters |
| The Champs-Elysees in Paris is adorned with Chinese and French flags in honor of Xi's visit. Pang Xinglei / Xinhua |
(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/28/2014 page4)
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