Britain to host state visit of Chinese President Xi in October

LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Britain for a state visit in October, Buckingham Palace said on Wednesday, 10 years after the last such visit by a Chinese president. Despite increasing economic ties between China and Britain, political relations have been strained over pro-democracy protests in the former British colony of Hong Kong. Queen Elizabeth's office said Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan would stay at Buckingham Palace during the visit, the first by a Chinese head of state since President Hu Jintao in 2005. A state visit usually includes a visit to parliament, and a meeting with the prime minister. Prince William, the queen's grandson, visited China in March this year, becoming the first high-level British royal to go to the country since the queen and her husband Prince Philip visited in 1986. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Michael Holden)