Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday in Manchester that he hoped Britain and China would strengthen cooperation and exchanges in the area of sports, including football, according to a statement by the country's foreign ministry.

The appearances of Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan in her tailored suits and gowns left Britain’s press swooning – describing her as “graceful”, “stunning”, “sophisticated”, “glamorous” and “chic” – during President Xi Jinping’s four-day state visit to the United Kingdom last week.

Because for all the talk of the new Chinese strength and legitimising its position on the world stage, there are still plenty of economic and social weaknesses for the country to address back home. [...] This is where Britain’s new pro-Chinese attitude assumes what President Xi’s official press release terms “visionary” proportions.

The "ping-pong diplomacy" was on display again - this time at Beijing's Poly Theater, where players and musicians from both countries gathered on Thursday to perform a show cheering Sino-U.S. exchanges of the early 1970s. 

Karla Cabrera [...] was excited when she came across "Introduction to Mao Zedong Thought," an online course about the Chinese revolutionary leader. But when Cabrera began watching the lectures on a popular online education platform owned and administered by Harvard and MIT [...] each class opened with a patriotic video montage. Talk of Mao's errors was minimal, restricted to the Communist Party line. 

Michelle Obama is not the only first lady who has become adept at using fashion as a form of subtle sartorial outreach to foreign leaders. On Tuesday night in London at the Palace state dinner in honor of President Xi Jinping of China, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge (the British first lady in waiting), demonstrated her own ability to employ dress as a form of diplomacy, wearing a gown by the British designer Jenny Packham — in a bright shade of red, the Chinese national color.

The humble takeaway combo of fish and chips that’s a staple of all things British could become a strategic focus of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s four-day visit to the U.K. Xi hopes to enjoy the calorie-rich meal during a trip that’s set to bring billions in deals and investment for both countries, alongside a drink at a pub with Prime Minister David Cameron, according to an editorial on official broadcaster China Central Television’s website.