China hopes Brown´s visit promotes ties

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-18-2008 08:16

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has arrived in Beijing to begin his three-day official visit to China. China's Foreign Ministry says it hopes the visit will push forward Sino-British cooperation.

Jiang Yu says Gordon Brown''s visit to China is expected to add momentum to friendly ties.

A Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman says Gordon Brown's visit to China is expected to add momentum to friendly ties.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu said, "China attaches great importance to the visit by the British Prime Minister. We hope this visit could help strengthen the Sino-British strategic dialogue, increase mutual trust and deepen cooperation, so as to promote the overall development of Sino-British strategic partnership."

The comprehensive strategic partnership, in recent years, has maintained a momentum of healthy development.

Active cultural exchanges have taken place, with more people-to-people contact at all levels.

Top leaders have a mechanism of annual meetings, and bilateral trade and investment have grown steadily. Last year, two-way trade volume reached 40 billion US dollars.

William Ehrman, the British Ambassador to China, is looking forward to even more.

British ambassador to China Villiam Ehrman said, "Britain has promoted free trade and opposed protectionism. We hope to open the market wider, and in the future, we can be a better partner of choice within the union."

Brown's schedule includes talks with top Chinese leaders, as well as a forum with Chinese business people. He's expected to announce cooperation in a range of initiatives, involving academia, commercial expertise and local government.

Jiang Yu said, "Brown's visit is the first of the year from an EU country. We hope his visit can push forward the development of Sino-British and Sino-EU relations. We hope through our joint efforts, the overall partnerships will continue to develop to a new high."

Britain is the largest EU investor in China. And with its economy hit by the US subprime mortgage crisis, business contacts with China are more important than ever. The huge Chinese market could mean more jobs for the UK. And a number of business deals are expected to be signed during British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit.

Editor:Zhang Ning