Theresa May gives Xi Jinping a DVD boxset of Blue Planet II
The boxset did at least include a special message for Xi from Sir David Attenborough
British Prime Minister Theresa May was in Beijing today, discussing a number of important issues with her Chinese counterpart and giving him with a DVD boxset to watch.
While you can easily buy a boxset of the popular BBC nature series Blue Planet II for less than 100 yuan on Taobao, this one does at least contain a special message from series creator Sir David Attenborough highlighting the need for both countries to put an end to plastic pollution.
China had been the world’s biggest market for household trash — accepting 51% of global plastic scrap imports in 2016. However, last month, a new ban on foreign plastic waste imports was set in place, raising fears that now the UK, which had shipped more than 2.7 million tonnes of plastic waste to China and Hong Kong since 2012, would be the one struggling to dispose of garbage.
Anyway, presumably, May hopes that Xi Jinping will take the series’ messages about humanity’s negative impact on the environment to heart. Though, it’s not clear if Xi is a fan of nature documentaries or if he even has a DVD player at this point.
While you might think that this a rather lackluster gift, it’s important to note that during his high-profile visit to the United Kingdom in 2015, Xi Jinping was given a hand-tooled edition of Shakespeare’s sonnets by the Queen. In return, he gifted Elizabeth II with two music albums by his folk singer wife Peng Liyuan.
During her 80-minute meeting with Xi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, May talked up the “golden era” of British-Chinese relations, which apparently is still ongoing despite a few bumps in the road over the last few years. In fact, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency, she seeks to forge an “enhanced version of the ‘Golden Era’ bilateral ties” — so a “golden, golden era?”
With her support crumbling back home, May made the most of her trip to China, visiting the Forbidden City with her hubby:
She was also informed that she had become rather popular among Chinese netizens, who had given her the nickname “Auntie May.”
“I’m honored by that. Thank you,” May said after being asked if she liked the nickname or not. As Bloomberg notes, we’re sure that she’s been called worse…
However, the highlight of her trip must certainly have been meeting with Chinese actress Angelababy, who has apparently been appointed UK tourism ambassador.
What a world we live in.
