President meets with British, Australian prime ministers on sidelines of G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro

President Xi Jinping shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their meeting on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

China, UK urged to deepen mutual trust

Beijing and London should realize mutual benefits and win-win results, and jointly write the next chapter of China-UK relations featuring healthy and stable development, President Xi Jinping said when meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

They met on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday, marking their first face-to-face meeting since Starmer took office as prime minister in July.

Xi said that the two sides "should keep defining each other as strategic partners" and stick to mutual respect, openness, cooperation, exchanges and mutual understanding.

He emphasized that the two countries "share a wide range of common interests despite their differences in history, culture, values and social systems".

The two sides should look at each other's development in a rational and objective way, strengthen strategic communication, enhance political mutual trust, and ensure that China-UK relations advance in a stable, practical and far-reaching manner, Xi said.

He added that the two countries should continue to expand the space for cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, clean energy, financial services, medical care and people's livelihoods, in order to better benefit the two peoples.

Starmer said a strong and enduring UK-China relationship is important for both countries and the world.

London hopes to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, equality and frankness, and work with Beijing to strengthen dialogue and enhance mutual understanding, he said.

Starmer said he hopes that the two sides will carry out exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade, science and technology, finance and economy, health and medical care, education and climate change response.

Xi held his first phone conversation with Starmer in August.

Observers noted that in recent months, China and the UK have seen good momentum in exchanges at various levels, as senior officials from the two countries, including ministers, have held talks or made phone calls covering areas such as foreign policy, the economy, finance and energy.

Speaking on the relations' global influence on Monday, Xi cited the common identity of the two countries as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major world economies.

Both countries shoulder "the great duty of driving their own development as well as the responsibility of addressing global challenges", he noted.

The two sides should facilitate the political settlement of hot spot issues, strengthen global governance of artificial intelligence, and contribute to boosting world economic growth and realizing the common development of various countries, he added.

 

President Xi shakes hands with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their meeting on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit on Monday. WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY

Beijing, Canberra to bolster cooperation

President Xi Jinping expressed on Monday China's willingness to work with Australia to build a more mature, stable and constructive comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries to inject greater stability and certainty into the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

Xi made the remark during a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit.

Noting that there are fundamentally no conflicts of interest between China and Australia, Xi emphasized that as long as both sides respect each other, treat each other as equals and seek common ground while shelving differences, bilateral relations will certainly develop well.

China has been Australia's largest trading partner for 15 consecutive years, with bilateral trade reaching around $230 billion last year. Bilateral relations were severely damaged in the past few years due to the negative policies adopted by the previous Australian government toward China. The two countries have broken the ice since Albanese took office in 2022.

During Monday's meeting, Xi praised the progress achieved in the past year, and noted that a record high of more than 250 Australian companies participated in this year's China International Import Expo. This shows the "vote of confidence" that Australian businesses have given the Chinese economy and bilateral cooperation, he said.

Both sides should remain committed to expanding the dynamics of mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said, adding that China is willing to import more high-quality Australian products and encourage Chinese companies to invest and expand their businesses in Australia.

He expressed the hope that Australia will provide a fair, transparent and nondiscriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises.

Noting that both China and Australia are supporters and defenders of economic globalization and free trade, Xi called on the two countries to strengthen coordination and cooperation, oppose protectionism, and promote the sharing of opportunities and benefits among countries through opening-up, in order to achieve common development.

Albanese commended the encouraging progress made in bilateral relations and reiterated Australia's commitment to adhering to the one-China policy, opposing economic decoupling and advocating the advancement of economic globalization.

He praised China's contributions to the long-term stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as its significant role in multilateral mechanisms, and said Australia is willing to strengthen communication with China to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity.