China's President Xi Jinping and Britain's PM David Cameron to discuss fight against extremism

British Prime Minister David Cameron planned to discuss the fight against extremism with President Xi Jinping on Thursday on a state visit hailed as a landmark by both China and Britain.

Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II after spending two nights as the monarch’s guest at Buckingham Palace. Xi will dine at Cameron’s country estate, Chequers, before visiting the northwest England city of Manchester to end his four-day trip.

Cameron’s office said Thursday’s talks would focus on international affairs and how China can help battle extremism.

Western governments are keenly interested in China’s response to the war in Syria. China joined Russia to block a series of Western resolutions at the United Nations against Bashar Assad’s government. Russia has stepped up a military intervention in Syria that it says targets the Islamic State group but that Britain and others say seeks to prop up Assad.

Peng earlier slipped away from the pomp, politics and deal-making of Xi’s state visit to meet teenagers studying the Mandarin language – and some of Britain’s pop culture icons.

Xi’s wife, 52, a huge star in China with independent fame as a folk singer, spent the first few days of the visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 10 years, touring a succession of schools, events and universities in London.

During a visit to a school in north London she listened to poetry and songs in Mandarin, widely considered one of the most difficult languages for English speakers.