President Xi Jinping waved at crowds while a limousine drove him from Albert Square in Manchester, concluding his weeklong state visit to the United Kingdom, according to a report by China Daily.
Throngs of spectators gathered to witness Xi bidding farewell, including thousands of Chinese, many of them local students. They gathered around the square fronting the city town hall while shouting, "Xi Dada, Xi Dada!" a term of endearment which refers to Xi as uncle.
Xi leaves the country amid high hopes of further cooperation between the U.K. and China. With an estimated 30 billion pounds ($45.94 billion) worth of business agreements and investments set in motion, the U.K. has made it clear that it would be beneficial for the West to be more open to China.
The United States' closest ally was sending a message to the world that it is high time to work with China in paving way for economic progress.
In a Financial Times piece published on Friday, the visit "marks a momentous geopolitical shift," concluding that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, was willing to bet on a gamble that could secure London's future prosperity, despite the current state of China's economy.
Osborne visited Beijing earlier in September, laying the groundwork for Xi's state visit.
For Niall Ferguson, a history professor at Harvard University and author of the recently published "Kissinger: 1923-1968 The Idealist," he goes far as to say that Britain currently has the right approach to China.
"Many people I have spoken to in Beijing feel frustrated at the lack of clarity in U.S. strategy," he says. "I know that Kissinger, for one, believes there is only one way forward for U.S. and China relations, and that is for them to be close and amicable, and I am hoping that Washington perhaps takes its cue from London."
One essential challenge that faces China is freeing up its capital markets and financial system without the risk of another financial crisis transpiring.