Beijing, 24 August 2024 (TDI): Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday by phone at the latter’s request, during which Xi said that Beijing and London should remain firm as partners.
He said that both countries should strengthen dialogue and cooperation, and benefit the two sides and the world through a stable and mutually beneficial China-Britain relationship.
The phone conversation is the first of its kind between the two leaders since Starmer succeeded in leading the Labour Party to a decisive victory in the UK general election and was appointed prime minister on July 5. On July 7, Chinese Premier Li Qiang sent a congratulatory message to Starmer on assuming the charge.
During his phone conversation, Xi felicitated Starmer on assuming office as UK prime minister.
Xi noted that the current global situation is volatile and intertwined, and he said that Beijing and London, both permanent members of the UN Security Council and major economies in the world, should view bilateral ties from a long-term and strategic perspective, remain firm as partners, strengthen cooperation and dialogue, and benefit the two sides and the world through a stable and mutually beneficial China-Britain relationship.
China is committed to advancing the building of a strong nation and national rejuvenation on all fronts via Chinese modernization, and sticking to the path of peaceful development, Xi said, expressing his hope that Britain can view Beijing in an objective and rational way.
Dialogue on Basis of Mutual Respect
China stands ready to engage in equal dialogue with Britain on the basis of mutual respect, increase mutual understanding and mutual trust, strengthen synergy of development strategies with UK, expand cooperation in such fields as finance, green economy and artificial intelligence (AI), he said.
Xi added that Beijing also wanted to deepen people-to-people exchanges, to make mutual benefit and win-win the main tone of China-Britain ties.
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Starmer congratulated the Chinese sports delegation on their bvrilliant performance at the Paris Olympics and said that developing closer British-China cooperation aligns with the long-term interests of both nations.
Strengthening cooperation in trade, education, clean energy, finance, and healthcare would benefit each country’s development and jointly address global challenges such as climate change, he added.
