article_snippet: the president also extended an open invitation to the Queen and Queen family to come to China, which could pave the way for a visit by the heir to the throne.
article_snippet: Stepping foot for the first time on Chinese soil, the second in line to the throne became the most senior member of the Royal family to visit China since the Queen nearly 30 years ago.
article_snippet: the Queen's heir has been assiduously courting the Chinese in recent years on behalf of The Queen's heir charities, setting up a number of initiatives in China, including The Prince's Charities Foundation (China) and an organisation to preserve historic architecture.
article_snippet: The Queen's heir has also met with several senior Communist party leaders in the UK.
article_snippet: However The Queen's heir has also made no secret of The Queen's heir personal, and deeply held, opposition to Chinese actions in Tibet, regularly welcoming their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama (reviled in Beijing as a dangerous separatist), to Clarence House.
article_snippet: The Queen's heir admitted The Queen's heir the Chinese is coming along 'slowly', and is mainly limited to greeting 'Ni Hao' The pair have even been photographed holding hands.
article_snippet: After taking part in the formal handover of the former British Colony of Hong Kong in 1997 to China, Charles also memorably described the officials taking part in ceremony as 'appalling old waxworks'.
article_snippet: Two years later Charles let it be known Charles was boycotting a Buckingham Palace banquet in honour of the then visiting president of China, Jiang Zemin.
article_snippet: During the Queen's 1986 visit to China Charles memorably caused enormous offence by telling a group of British students: 'If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty eyed.'
article_snippet: As The Queen's heir left to attend lunch with the Chinese Premier, The Queen's heir thanked The Queen's heir hosts.
highlights_snippet: Comes after Chinese President father, Prince Charles, said regime were 'old waxworks' 