Amnesty International questions supporters as Britain rolls out red carpet for Chinese President Xi Jinping

THEY lined up to wave at their leader, but one human rights group has thrown the story into doubt after finding a “suspicious” box on the roadside.

The real story behind those photos

THEY lined the world famous Mall waving flags to welcome the President. Now Amnesty International has thrown into doubt the story behind the legions of pro-China supporters by questioning whether flags and T-shirts were shipped in by the Chinese government.

Amnesty International UK spokeswoman Harriet Garland told news.com.au she found the boxes dumped in public after noticing many of the pro-China fans outside Buckingham Palace were wearing “suspiciously similar” clothing.

“Just behind The Mall near the George VI monument there were all these boxes filled with merchandise. They were marked with diplomatic baggage, one assumes the embassy had been handing this stuff out.

“It’s not illegal or anything [but] it’s quite a shameless attempts to convey this image. A lot of this is about the pageantry of image control. They’re trying to convey an image that everything is fine and unfortunately the UK government is going along with that.”

Thousands on mall with pro-China t-shirts & flags. Found their litter. Shipped by Chinese govt as diplomatic cargo. pic.twitter.com/sZc99cOegB

— Amnesty UK (@AmnestyUK) October 20, 2015

The Chinese government has not responded to a request for comment but Ms Garland said pro-China demonstrators had flocked to the site yesterday with many there as early as 6am.

Large crowds also flocked to catch a glimpse of the Chinese President at Brisbane’s G20 summit in Australia, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inspired hundreds of supporters to take a 12-hour train from Melbourne to Sydney to hear him speak in the city’s west.

“We were very much outnumbered,” she said of the protest that included Joshua Wong, the teenager facing five years in jail for his role Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution.

The UK government has used the four-day visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to roll out a lavish welcome and usher in a new “golden era” of relations between the two countries.

On Tuesday the President and First Lady were driven to Buckingham Palace in a horse-drawn state coach where they will stay for the duration of their visit, before a formal dinner with the Queen, Prince Phillip and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping, ride in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach along The Mall in London Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Britain Monday for a four-day state visit as part of a push to increase trade ties between the two countries. (Yui Mok/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh listen as President of China Xi Jinping speaks during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on October 20, 2015 in London, England. The President of the People's Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan, are paying a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of the Queen. They will stay at Buckingham Palace and undertake engagements in London and Manchester. The last state visit paid by a Chinese President to the UK was Hu Jintao in 2005. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool /Getty Images)

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (R) attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on October 20, 2015 in London, England. The President of the People's Republic of China, Mr Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan, are paying a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of the Queen. They will stay at Buckingham Palace and undertake engagements in London and Manchester. The last state visit paid by a Chinese President to the UK was Hu Jintao in 2005. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool /Getty Images)

Supporters of the Falun Gong, with a supporter wearing a large head depicting the likeness of Chinese President Xi Jinping as they protest outside Downing Street as they wait for the arrival of Xi Jinping in London, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Britain Monday for a four-day State Visit as part of a push to increase trade ties between the two countries. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant )

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced more than $63 billion worth of deals between the two countries that are expected to create nearly 4000 jobs.

On Wednesday he said standard Chinese visitor visas would be extended from six months to two years in a bid to capitalise on the $1 billion Chinese tourists contribute to the UK economy each year.

China will also stump up the cash for one third of Britain’s first nuclear power plant in decades along with French energy company EDF, in a controversial $52 billion deal that has worried security experts.

However the visit has been used by activists to draw attention to China’s poor record on human rights. Amnesty International said the country carries out more executions than the rest of the world combined.

The Chinese Embassy has been contacted for comment.