Chinese premier holds dialogue with British business leaders

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang holds a virtual dialogue with UK business leaders in Beijing, capital of China, July 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held a virtual dialogue with UK business leaders on Tuesday, expressing his hopes for consolidating mutual trust and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation for win-win results, to promote the stable and sound development of bilateral ties.

Noting the uncertainties in the current international situation, Li said that China and the UK, both as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major economies in the world, represent important forces for safeguarding world peace, promoting common development, and defending the multilateral trade system.

A stable China-UK relationship is conducive to maintaining free and fair trade, promoting global economic recovery, responding to global challenges and enhancing the well-being of the two peoples, Li said.

"China is willing to consolidate mutual trust with the UK, along with mutual respect, seek to expand common ground while shelving differences, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation for win-win results, build consensus and address divergences via equal dialogue, so as to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties," said Li.

Calling mankind a community with a shared future, Li said it is imperative for the international community to enhance solidarity and cooperation to ensure ultimate victory over COVID-19.

China has taken COVID-19 vaccines as a global public good and engaged in vaccine-related cooperation with multiple countries, Li said. "China is willing to continue strengthening communications with all parties, especially sharing achievements in scientific research, to accelerate the progress toward defeating the pandemic," the premier added.

Noting that China attaches great importance to responding to climate change, Li said that China's stated goals of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 are the inevitable path to take in the process of modernization.

Li expressed China's willingness to further step up cooperation on clean energy and other sectors, and expand cooperation on green technology on the basis of intellectual property protection, to jointly respond to climate change.

He said that reform and opening-up is China's basic national policy and will continue to be advanced unswervingly. China's manufacturing industry has been fully opened up and the service industry is opening up in an orderly manner, he added.

"In the process of formulating a new development paradigm, we will continue to devote ourselves to creating a market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment, treating all types of market players equally, including foreign companies, and welcoming more foreign capital into China," he said.

China also hopes Britain will provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies to invest in the country, Li said.

Noting that both China and Britain have a long history and splendid culture, and that the exchanges between the peoples of the two countries boast a long history, Li said it is hoped that both sides will uphold the concepts of mutual respect, openness and tolerance, and inclusiveness, jointly safeguard the diversity of human civilizations and promote the development of a colorful world civilization.

Li called on all sectors of society in the two countries to strengthen exchanges and communication, increase awareness and understanding between the peoples, and generate positive factors for the development of bilateral relations.

The British participants said that China is an important economic and trade partner for Britain, and the British business community greatly values the Chinese market and is full of confidence in China's development.

There is huge room for win-win cooperation between the two countries in finance, services, agriculture, healthcare, education, manufacturing and infrastructure, they said, adding that the British business community looks forward to further enhancing trade and investment relations with China, deepening cooperation in practical areas, and promoting the development of relations between the two countries.

The heads of more than 30 multinational companies and renowned institutions, including Standard Life, Diageo, Jardine Matheson, AstraZeneca, Walgreens Boots Alliance and British Petroleum, attended the dialogue.