Big celebration set for queen's 90th birthday

Queen Elizabeth II, who 30 years ago became the first British monarch to visit China, turns 90 on Thursday, and a series of public celebrations are getting underway to pay tribute to the country's longest-serving sovereign.

She met Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping during her visit to Beijing in October 1986, less than two years after China and the UK agreed on the future of Hong Kong and at a time of increasing British-Chinese trade.

Over the next 30 years, the Queen welcomed three top Chinese leaders, including former presidents JiangZemin and Hu Jintao and current President Xi Jinping. On each occasion, she invited them to stay as her guest at Buckingham Palace, seen as the highest honor under royal protocol.