Chinese media say visit by Prince William holds out hope for improved relations
Chinese have a fond regard for many things British despite past and present tensions; William's trip may well reinforce this trend
Until recently the mainland's state media often decried Britain as a petty-minded, selfish and declining empire that uses eccentricity to disguise its embarrassment and arrogance. But last week, it threw open its arms to welcome Prince William, as the second-in-line to the throne made his first visit to the mainland by a member of the royal family since 1986.
The Duke of Cambridge focused his three-day trip on culture, sports and activities promoting the protection of wildlife.
"The engagement of Prince William in promoting Britain's cultural, creative and educational sectors in China will help boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges and friendship between the two countries," Xinhua said in a commentary.
Both and , a tabloid affiliated to the , the ruling party's mouthpiece, hailed the visit as "signalling the UK government's strong desire to push for a better relationship with China".
Yet, bilateral relations have often been trapped in a state of ambiguity and contradiction. Both sides are eager to explore the business opportunities from their cooperation, while at the same time agonising over problems due to Britain's support for Hong Kong's quest for democracy, a visit to Britain by the exiled Dalai Lama and China's human rights record.
For instance, British Prime Minister David Cameron's encounter with the Dalai Lama in 2012 resulted in Britain being politically frozen out of China for about 18 months.
Prince William's visit is seen as having offered one of the few real chances to forge diplomatic, commercial and cultural ties between the two nations. Despite their great divide on politics, there has been an upsurge of economic cooperation and cultural exchanges in recent years, with a record-breaking bilateral trade volume of more than US$80 billion last year.
Chinese views over the great empire have been mixed. Chinese historians believed that Britain's two opium wars weakened China, as the Qing government ceded Hong Kong to British rule and China became a semi-colony of Western powers. Every Chinese child also knows that under Queen Victoria's rule, the British army looted and destroyed the fabled Summer Palace in Beijing.
Still, many Chinese also regard many aspects of British life positively. The English Premier League, British TV dramas such as and the classic works of great writers such as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens are all well received by generations of Chinese. Britain has also become the second largest destination for mainlanders going overseas for education, following the United States.
The British may no longer have an empire but many Chinese see the more enlightened, open-minded current generation of royals as more like an icon. For years, the Chinese people have shown great interest in news relating to the British royal family. Even as early as the 1990s, they paid great attention to the stories of the late Princess Diana, William's mother.
The visit by a member of the apolitical royal family might be safer and more productive than formal state diplomacy. noted that "Royal Diplomacy is a signature dish of British public diplomacy and the Prince - with a good public image and a great appeal to the younger generations in China - will see his trip boost goodwill between the two peoples and help eliminate misunderstandings".
It is perhaps owing to China's fast rise and Britain's dwindling international influence in recent decades that the first trip to the mainland by a senior British royal in a generation might symbolise a new beginning for relations between China and the British royal family, and thus help push the two historically antagonistic countries much closer.
