
President Xi Jinping and Prince William, both avid soccer fans, discussed sports exchanges between China and Britain, highlighting the cooperation in soccer during their meeting in Beijing on Monday.
Prince William asked about President Xi's interest in football and said he hoped to see more Chinese play in the English Premier League (EPL).
Prince William now serves as President of England's Football Association starting from May 2006.
Xi said China had cooperated with Britain in football in different ways, including a cooperation deal signed in 2013 between the Chinese Super League and EPL, and would like to learn the game from world top teams including England.
Xi added that he expected William to continue to promote sports exchange and cooperation between the two countries.
Chinese first landed on EPL in 2002 when Sun Jihai joined Manchester City and Li Tie, now a Chinese national team coach, made it to Everton. They were followed by Dong Fangzhuo and Zheng Zhi, current China captain.
![]() |
Day|Week
Tsinghua junior makes over 10,000 yuan a day by selling alumnae's used quilts
Graduation photos of students from Zhongnan University
A school with only one teacher in deep mountains
Glimpse of cultural heritage "Xilankapu"
Homemade cured hams in SW China
Breathtaking buildings of W. Sichuan Plateau
Graduation photos of "legal beauties"
Top 10 most expensive restaurants in Beijing in 2015