Britain and China to hail 'golden' ties during Xi visit

President Xi Jinping of China addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

LONDON (Reuters) - When British finance minister George Osborne told Chinese students his daughter studied Mandarin during a visit to Beijing in 2013, it was a clear personal bid to heal strained ties.

Fast forward two years and Osborne's revelation and his dogged pursuit of better ties have hit the mark, helping to attract billions of pounds in potential investment to Britain in what China calls a "golden time" in relations.