President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for deeper cooperation between “major technological powers” China and the UK as he held his first official call with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Xi congratulated Burnham on his appointment as the country’s leader, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, emphasising that the shared interests of China and the United Kingdom outweighed their differences in social systems.
“Both sides should respect and trust each other, transcend differences, seek common ground while reserving differences, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation,” Xi was quoted as saying.
“Both China and the UK are major technological powers with abundant resources in education, culture and sports. They should maintain an open and forward-looking approach and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields.”
Xi also urged the UK to work with China as a fellow major economy and permanent member of the UN Security Council, in backing multilateralism and free trade, and pushing for an “equitable and orderly multipolar world”.
Burnham took office as prime minister on July 20, after succeeding Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party. Tuesday’s call took place at Burnham’s request, Xinhua said.
A statement from Beijing released in the evening did not say if the wars in Iran and Ukraine were part of the talks.
According to Xinhua, Burnham told Xi that the UK was willing to maintain “the continuity of its China policy”, build a “long-term stable strategic partnership”, hold high-level exchanges and “restore bilateral relations to their highest historical level”.
He also referenced the two countries’ UN roles, saying: “In the current turbulent and complex international landscape, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, Britain and China should promote dialogue to resolve international hotspots, jointly address global challenges such as climate change, and work together to maintain global stability and prosperity.”
A Downing Street statement about the meeting said the two leaders discussed the importance of “pragmatic cooperation” in advancing their interests and addressing shared global challenges.
Issues raised by Burnham included the Ukraine war, Hong Kong and human rights, the statement from No 10 said. He also pledged to engage “frankly and constructively” on matters affecting both countries.
Britain began to seek warmer ties with China under Starmer, following a frosty period marked by contentious issues ranging from security concerns to China’s human rights record.
Britain banned Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from its 5G networks in 2020 and sanctioned Chinese officials a year later over alleged rights abuses relating to the Uygur minority group in Xinjiang. Beijing retaliated by slapping counter-sanctions on British lawmakers.
But London pursued deeper trade ties with Beijing during Starmer’s two years in office from 2024.
In January, he became the first British prime minister to visit China since 2018, leading to an agreement between the two nations to build a “long-term, stable comprehensive strategic partnership”.
They also agreed to cut tariffs on Scotch whisky and signed a raft of trade and investment deals. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
