Chinese president Xi Jinping begins his state visit to Britain today - the first by a Chinese leader in 10 years - as UK ministers hope to secure £30 billion of trade and investment deals, from nuclear power to high-speed rail.
David Cameron has called Xi's visit a new “golden era” for the UK-Chinese relations, but critics are concerned that pomp and ceremony may overshadow serious concerns over China's dubious activities when it comes to human rights and cyberhacking - not to mention its devastating role in killing the UK steel industry.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrive at Heathrow Airport
Tata Steel announced today it would cut 1,200 jobs in Scunthorpe and Scotland, as cheap Chinese steel pushes an already dwindling industry to the brink.
Though Cameron has said he will address these issues in talks, worries persist that they could be eclipsed by diplomacy, as Xi takes part in a procession along The Mall and goes to a state banquet held by the Queen later today.
These eight reasons show it may not be right to call British-Chinese relations a "golden era" quite yet: