Red carpets, protests to greet China's Xi in Britain

China's President Xi Jinping starts a four-day state visit to Britain on Tuesday as Prime Minister David Cameron's government rolls out the red carpet in a bid to build closer business links.

Xi will stay with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, enjoy a state banquet and visit Downing Street, Cameron's country residence Chequers and even Manchester City football club.

Cameron's office says the visit will secure trade and investment deals worth more than £30 billion (40 billion euros, $45 billion) and lead to the creation of more than 3,900 jobs.

Despite the lavish reception which both sides say heralds a "golden era", there are fears that the desire to boost Britain's economy through Chinese investment means Cameron will not press Xi hard enough on human rights.

Groups including Amnesty International and Free Tibet are planning protests for the state visit, starting with one during the carriage procession through central London on Tuesday.

"This is going to be a very important moment for British-Chinese relations," Cameron said ahead of the visit. "It's a real opportunity to deepen our relationship."

Cameron's spokeswoman told reporters Monday that "nothing is off the table" and insisted that he would raise human rights with Xi.

"By developing a strong and engaged relationship with China based on an approach of constructive engagement, that means we are able to talk to them about issues where we might differ," she said.

The Times newspaper's cartoon on Monday showed Cameron standing on a red carpet and bowing so deeply to Xi that he ended up burying his head in the ground.

Prince Charles, heir to the throne and a supporter of Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, will not attend Tuesday night's state banquet, though he will take tea with Xi earlier in the day.

"I'm shocked that we're sacrificing our values of human rights and democracy and freedom of speech for simple trade," Fabian Hamilton, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet and an opposition Labour MP, said at an event protesting against the government's stance on Monday.