British PM: It is crucial for UK-China coordination on int´l issues

Source: Xinhua | 01-16-2008 11:37

LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- It is crucial for Britain and China to coordinate their positions on international issues such as global security and world economic development, British Prime Minister said here on Tuesday.

"Coordinating our positions in these issues is crucial," Brown said in a written interview with correspondents of Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily based in London.

The British prime minister is going to visit China on January 18-20.

He said "Last year, we worked very closely on issues such as Darfur, Burma (Myanmar) or North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) ... But I believe that the role China now plays on the global economic stage is increasingly being matched by greater political engagement as well. For the UK, working constructively with China on international issues is one of our top foreign policy priorities."

He said economically, he believes no one doubts now the significance of China for global economic growth.

Brown noted that in 1978, when China first started opening up to the world, China accounted for 0.5 percent of world GDP, by last year that figure was well over 6 percent, and it will continue to grow.

The prime minister said it is essential that as major political actors on the world stage, Britain and China work closely together to solve the problems such as threats from climate change, the growth of international terrorism or a resurgence of popular support in many places for protectionism in world markets.

On a question concerning the roles Britain play in promoting China-EU relationship, Brown said "This is extremely important. Our membership of the EU gives us and the other 26 members a unique opportunity to work together on economic, environmental and security issues."

The EU has a very significant role to play internationally, Britain wants to build a global Europe, that is open to the world, open to trade, open to ideas and open to investment, he said, adding that means there is huge opportunity for partnership with China.

The EU and China are already each other's largest trading partners, and Britain will keep arguing for the right policies towards China within the European Union, so that both China and Europe can enjoy the benefits of globalization, Brown said.

Editor:Zhang Ning