PRESIDENT XI COMES to IMPERIAL the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Met with Students and Scientists While on a State Visit
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ISSUE 1614 FRIDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2015 The Student Newspaper of Imperial College London Familiar themes I spent my morning with the at Frieze Chinese President PAGE 23 ARTS PAGE 6 COMMENT PRESIDENT XI COMES TO IMPERIAL The General Secretary of the Communist Party of China met with students and scientists while on a state visit n Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping stopped off at Imperial to celebrate collaboration between Chinese Oinstitutions and the College. Imperial proudly repeated the statistic that since 2003, the number of UK papers published in Nature with a co-author in China had jumped from 3% to 22%. President Jinping, affectionately nicknamed Xi Dada by his fans, was given a drawing of Queen’s Tower and two 3D printed models of the Great Wall of China, one the width of a human hair. Accompanied by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, and Imperial regular Prince Andrew, Xi met President of Imperial College Alice Gast and several students during his visit. Xi held an umbrella as Professor Gast walked him across Dalby Court from the business school to the Hamlyn Centre. Some Chinese news agencies misreported that she was merely a “tour guide”, rather than a woman earning over £400,000 a year to lead Imperial. Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan, a famous... continued on page 3 rd PAGE 2 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2015 felixonline.co.uk [email protected] Contents A word from the Editor News 3 Editor-in-Chief Grace Rahman Comment 4 News Editor ello, and welcome to rather than David Cameron. Cecily Johnson Science 7 this, another issue of Although I regreted not Comment Editors your beloved FELIX. shouting FREE TIBET or STOP Film 8 Tessa Late and Vivien I can’t quite believe EXECUTING PEOPLE or Hadlow you’re reading my editorial when something at Peng Liyuan when I Music 10 there’s so much smashing content bumped into her on Thursday, the Science Editors H Jane Courtnell and Lef this week. It’s very sweet of you. reality is that nothing negative is Games 13 Ooh I feel warm and fuzzy now. getting reported by the Chinese Apostolakis You might’ve noticed, but we’ve media anyway. Clubs & Societies 19 Arts Editors only had the ruddy president of Should we, as a university, be Indira Malik, Jingjie China in this week. He swung by associating, even if on a business Features 20 Cheng and Max with Prince Andrew (again – he level, with someone who condones Falkenberg can’t keep away) and heir to the the kinds of civil rights abuses Arts 21 tory throne, George Osborne. Not we see in China? Yes, financial Music Editor a great gang if you’re into human contributions to research as a result Cale Tilford Food 26 rights or tax credits for the disabled. of President’s visit appeared even Film Editor We watched the Panorama episode before he did. And yes, this money Fred Fyles Business 27 on President Xi, we asked Chinese goes to super useful causes. We have polite discussion, rather than full students what they thought and thousands of students who adore on celebration would’ve been more Welfare Editor Welfare 28 we saw the crowds that gathered to this man and enjoyed his visit. For appropriate. To be honest, if college Noor Mulheron greet him and his A-list wife (who those reasons, I think it was right want to collaborate with Chinese Hangman 29 in real life is a stone-cold fox by the that he came here. institutions and companies, for Sports Editor Kunal Wagle way; I accidentally bumped into her But when we have the world academic and most likely financial Puzzles 31 coming out of RSM on the way to stage with a President of a country reasons, it has to court President Xi. Copy Editors college caf for a Muller corner). whose practices on something as So I do kind of get it. Mattin Mir-Tahmasebi, Sports 32 Basically, he’s a really flaming fundamental as human rights, we so But I don’t know guys, maybe I was Jack Steadman and popular leader. He’s adorable, looks adamantly disagree with, should we just bitter ‘cause I wasn’t allowed to Ahmed Ibrahim FELIX, Beit Quad, like Winnie the Pooh and for fans be showering them with gifts? shake his hand. That would’ve been Prince Consort Road, outside the business school on a I’m not saying we should’ve thrown an awkward one to explain though. Technical Babe Luke Granger-Brown London SW7 2BB rainy Wednesday morning, this was red paint at the man, PETA-style, ‘What do you do?’ ‘I’m a member of Tel: 020 7594 8072 comparable to the Queen visiting, but maybe a Corbyn-esque level of the free press.’ Oh dear. Lead Singer Printed by Iliffee Print Cambridge, Jack Steadman Winship Road, Cambridge Registered Newspaper Cover Picture by ISSN 1040-0711 Thomas Angus Copyright © FELIX 2015 Hey you. Wanna copy edit? If you h8 speling misteks and want to get involved in FELIX, this is a good way to start. Come to the FELIX office (West Basement of Beit) at midday on Monday 26th and hang out. And send us an email at [email protected]. Let us know, we’re needy. felixonline.co.uk FRIDAY 23rd OCTOBER 2015 PAGE 3 NEWS [email protected] Imperial medics fight contract changes A strike ballot follows the demonstration on Whitehall that saw 20,000 flock to parliament Cecily Johnson and the reclassification of ‘normal News Editor working hours’ to include Saturdays and later evening finishes, moving from 7pm to 10pm. ver 20,000 people took Protesters have argued that the part in a protest march extended hours would negatively in London against affect the quality of patient care, as proposed government “overworked” junior doctors would changes to junior doctors’ contracts be expected to work up to 90 hours last Saturday. Protests also took O I! C! S! M! is not what these protestors were shouting. Photo Credit: Grace Rahman place in Belfast, Nottingham and Dundee. They would Medical students, NHS workers each week. This would be only the second time us through genuine negotiations and members of the public joined be expected Jennie Watson, ICU Deputy in 40 years that doctors have taken and their threat to impose new the crowds of junior doctors President (Welfare), who is also a industrial action, the last time being contracts that we believe are unsafe who marched on Westminster in medical student, said it was good to a strike over a pension dispute in for patients and unfair for doctors, objection to the planned changes, to work up see “so many of my fellow medics out 2012. leaves us with few options”. which are due to be introduced next fighting for the future of the NHS, The decision to ballot BMA On the topic of industrial action, August. to 90 hours the patients and our profession”. members had not been “taken Jennie said, “I’m sure there will The proposed terms of the new The British Medical Association lightly”, said junior doctors’ leader be plenty of ICSM students and contract include a pay cut of up to each week (BMA) has announced that a strike Dr Johann Malawana. “Thealumni on the picket lines if there 30% for those in some specialties ballot will take place next month. government’s refusal to work with is a strike”. The reddest red carpet for this president Grace Rahman business school foyer. At one point four day visit. Editor-in-Chief Alice Gast made a speech directly This trip paid off for Imperial addressing the unpopular politician. quicker than you might have “Chancellor, you have said that imagined possible. Before President continued from front page you aim to make the UK ‘China’s Xi even arrived, a plaque was ...folk singer in her own right, also best partner in the west’. Imperial unveiled to celebrate a £3 million came along. She was given a cape by College London strives to be just donation from a Chinese financial the Data Science Institute, whose that.” services company. The Hamlyn scientists had analysed 700 photos Xi and his wife have been staying Centre for medical robotics and the of her to get accurate measurements at Buckingham Palace during their Data Science Institute will benefit and design ideas for the item. A UK from the perfectly timed gift. Xi Dada drew quite a crowd. Photo Credit: Thomas Angus / Imperial College based Chinese designer then made We think Just in time for the visit, Imperial’s the piece. Associate Provost of Academic it was to see their home country’s levels. However, his visit has been The MailOnline reported that Partnerships, Professor Maggie leader in their university town. met with some criticism. Pockets Peng “dissolved in laughter” at the this is the Dallman described the Chinese “[His] visit and Britain’s of protesters lined Pall Mall as Xi gift, making this, we think, the first student body in sweeping terms in hospitality show that both countries made a journey down the road to sidebar of shame click-bait article to first sidebar an article for China Daily. are willing to resolve current issues.” Buckingham Palace in a carriage. come out of Imperial College. On “Almost every day I meet brilliant said Xinyang Yuan. The BBC’s political editor, Laura Thursday, the first lady returned to Chinese students,” she said, adding A popular leader back home, Xi’s Kuenssberg, asked Mr Xi why the South Kensington to visit the Royal of shame that the Chinese community at father held important roles within British public would want to do College of Music.