Cameron tweets in Mandarin on Weibo for China trip

David Cameron has joined Sina Weibo and is sending messages in English to his Chinese followers. Image: Wiki Images

"Hello my friends in China. I'm pleased to have joined Weibo and look forward to visiting China very soon," he said in English and Mandarin in his first message.

It has since been forwarded more than 24,000 times. Cameron has attracted more than 101,000 followers since setting up his account, which helpfully points out that he has the star sign Libra.

A Downing Street spokesman confirmed to AFP that the account was genuine. The British premier's social media savvy has come a long way since he said in 2009 that he was not joining Twitter because "too many twits might make a twat".

He set up his own Twitter account in October 2012 under the handle @David_Cameron, which now has more than 525,000 followers.

Cameron is on an official visit to China aimed at fostering good relations with the new leadership in Beijing and forging business links.

He will be accompanied by a delegation of ministers and business leaders on the visit, his first to the Asian powerhouse since President Xi Jinping took office in March.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge