China, UK pledge deeper cooperation and long-term strategic partnership

BEIJING: China and the United Kingdom on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, expanding practical cooperation and advancing a long-term, stable and comprehensive strategic partnership during the 11th China-UK Strategic Dialogue held in Beijing.

The high-level talks were co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as key international and regional issues, including the situations in Iran and Ukraine.

Addressing the dialogue, Wang Yi said that the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China earlier this year had injected fresh momentum into bilateral ties and placed relations on a new and positive trajectory.

He noted that exchanges and cooperation in various sectors had resumed following a period of uncertainty and were gradually returning to a normal and constructive path. Wang emphasized the need for both countries to maintain close high-level communication, enhance mutual trust and translate political consensus into tangible outcomes that would benefit the peoples of both nations.

The Chinese foreign minister underscored that China’s more than four decades of reform and opening-up had demonstrated that openness and international engagement were essential drivers of development and prosperity.

“China’s development has proven that openness brings progress, while isolation leads to stagnation,” Wang said, adding that China remained committed to expanding high-level opening-up and creating new opportunities for international cooperation.

He pointed out that China’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan would not only guide the country’s future development but would also create new opportunities for global partners, including the United Kingdom. Wang observed that many of China’s development priorities closely aligned with Britain’s modern industrial strategy, providing a strong foundation for enhanced cooperation in emerging sectors.

The Chinese foreign minister expressed hope that the United Kingdom would continue to provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises operating in Britain. He also urged the British side to define national security concerns in a reasonable manner to avoid unnecessary restrictions on economic and commercial cooperation.

Wang further elaborated on China’s positions regarding issues related to Taiwan and Hong Kong, reiterating Beijing’s longstanding principles on matters concerning its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

For her part, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reaffirmed London’s commitment to building a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership with China, describing stable and constructive relations as being in the fundamental interests of both countries.

She said Britain was prepared to strengthen high-level exchanges and broaden cooperation with China in a wide range of fields, including trade, finance, clean energy, artificial intelligence, innovation and climate change.

Cooper highlighted the importance of maintaining open channels of communication between the two nations and expressed confidence that deeper economic engagement could contribute positively to global growth and stability.

Addressing the Taiwan issue, Cooper stated that Britain’s policy had remained unchanged since the establishment of diplomatic relations with China and would continue to remain consistent. She emphasized the importance of managing differences through frank and constructive dialogue while expanding areas of mutual cooperation.

The British foreign secretary added that despite differences on certain issues, both countries shared significant common interests in promoting international stability, economic development and addressing global challenges such as climate change and technological transformation.

During the strategic dialogue, the two sides also exchanged views on major international and regional developments, including the evolving situations in Iran and Ukraine, and discussed ways to enhance cooperation on global governance and multilateral affairs.

Observers noted that the latest round of strategic dialogue reflects renewed efforts by both Beijing and London to stabilize and improve relations amid a rapidly changing global landscape. The discussions also highlighted the growing importance of maintaining constructive engagement between major economies at a time when the international community faces increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainties.

The meeting concluded with both sides agreeing to continue high-level consultations, strengthen practical cooperation and work together to ensure that China-UK relations move forward on a stable, healthy and sustainable path.

Chinese vice president meets UK foreign secretary

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in Beijing on Tuesday.

The two countries' leaders agreed in January to develop a long-term and consistent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the UK, opening a new chapter of bilateral relations, Han said.

Noting that improving bilateral ties serves the interests of the people of both countries, Han said both sides should jointly shoulder the responsibilities of major countries, strengthen strategic communication, consolidate the positive momentum of bilateral relations, explore new opportunities and boost people-to-people exchanges.

He called on both sides to work together to practice true multilateralism, jointly advance global governance reform and bring greater stability and certainty to the world.

Cooper said the UK and China share broad common interests and cooperation potential in areas such as trade and investment, artificial intelligence, green development and addressing climate change.

The UK is ready to work with China to implement the important consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries, engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation and jointly address challenges, Cooper said.