China, Britain agree on roadmap for cooperation

Beijing and London have agreed on a roadmap for future collaboration during Foreign Minister Wang Yi's trip to Britain, setting out plans for senior UK officials' visits to China, as well as intergovernmental dialogue and cooperation on global issues.

On Thursday local time, Wang embarked on meetings with key figures including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Jonathan Powell, the prime minister's national security adviser.

Wang also co-chaired the 10th China-UK Strategic Dialogue with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The previous dialogue was held in 2018.

According to a statement on the dialogue issued on Friday by the Foreign Ministry, the two sides reached a six-point consensus on a roadmap for their next steps in interactions, and the first three points are about the visits of senior British officials to China.

"The UK minister for energy security and net-zero will visit China and hold the China-UK Energy Dialogue," said the statement.

The UK minister for science, research and innovation will also travel to China and attend the meeting of the China-UK Joint Commission on Science, Technology and Innovation, and the UK minister for education will visit for China-UK education ministerial consultations.

The two countries will "accelerate preparations for and hold" institutional dialogues such as the China-UK Joint Economic and Trade Commission as well as dialogues on health and industrial-cooperation, the statement said.

Beijing and London also agreed to "build on cooperation highlights in financial services, clean energy and artificial intelligence", and will deepen cooperation in areas such as global governance, development partnership, climate change and cybersecurity.

Observers noted that prior to Wang's UK trip, the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in January achieved fruitful results, and recently exchanges at various levels have recently resumed.

President Xi Jinping met with the British prime minister on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November.

On Thursday, Wang told Starmer that the leaders' meeting "launched the process of improving and developing China-UK relations".

Starmer said he expects the two countries to engage in candid and constructive dialogue to promote the sustained and stable development of their ties.

Wang's visit marks the second occasion in a decade that a Chinese foreign minister has visited the UK, and seven years have passed since the previous China-UK Strategic Dialogue, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday. This "shows the positive willingness of the two sides to actively implement the consensus of the leaders and to continue promoting the stabilization and improvement of bilateral relations", he added.

Ding Chun, a professor and director of the Center for European Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said: "Beijing has been perceiving and handling China-UK ties from a strategic height, and the fresh consensus on the roadmap for bilateral interactions illustrates the great momentum of the ties' growth.

"Currently, the bilateral ties are more focused on seeking common ground, shelving differences and advancing pragmatic cooperation, which is in tandem with the latest changes in global landscapes."

When co-chairing the China-UK Strategic Dialogue with Foreign Secretary Lammy, Wang said it is natural that there are differences and disagreements between China and Britain, and "what is important is to have an objective and rational perspective and strengthen dialogue and communication in the spirit of mutual respect".

Wang said China and Britain, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should demonstrate their responsibility as major countries, practice multilateralism, support free trade and promote the political settlement of hot-spot issues.

Lammy said it is necessary for Britain and China to strengthen strategic communication and jointly promote world peace and stability.

Britain is committed to developing a long-term stable, mature and strong relationship with China, and is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges with China and carry out constructive dialogue and practical cooperation in various fields, he added.