File photo taken on Sept. 8, 2014 shows Prince William (R), Duke of Cambridge, speaking with school students as he arrives to formally inaugurate the Dickson Poon University of Oxford China Centre Building in Oxford, Britain. Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Britain from Oct. 19 to 23. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Beijing, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II, Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay his first state visit to Britain between Oct. 19 and 23, which will push the bilateral ties to a new high.
Let's go through a list of figures showing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
FIRST ONE
Britain is the first major Western country that applied to join China-proposed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which has led France, Italy and Germany quickly to follow suit.
NO.1
Britain is the largest recipient of Chinese investment in Europe, the second largest EU investor in China, and the second largest EU trading partner of China.
90.78 BILLION
Bilateral trade volume reached 90.78 billion U.S. dollars in 2014, with year-on-year growth of 19.6 percent, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.
In the first half of 2015, the trade volume between the two countries hit 42.3 billion dollars, with an increase of 3.4 percent compared with the same period last year.
15,000
This year is declared as China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange. A total of 15,000 Chinese students studied in Britain, while around 6,000 UK students chose China as their destination.
Moreover, the two countries have maintained frequent exchange and cooperation on international and regional issues, and jointly contribute to solving such issues as the Iran nuclear crisis.
