BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping mentioned stepping up cooperation with Britain in finance, the inexperienced financial system and synthetic intelligence in a cellphone name with Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday (Aug 23), Chinese language state media stated.
The Chinese language chief additionally congratulated Starmer on his Labour Occasion’s July election win within the name that China stated had been requested by Britain, the Xinhua information company reported.
There was no speedy affirmation or broader remark from London.
Starmer’s authorities stated in June it’ll perform an audit of Britain’s relationship with China to grasp and reply to the challenges and alternatives Beijing poses.
The 2 international locations’ ties got here below appreciable pressure over the course of Britain’s earlier Conservative authorities, over Hong Kong, British accusations of rights abuses, and considerations about Chinese language corporations’ involvement in offering crucial infrastructure.
In 2022, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared the tip of a so-called “golden period” of relations that certainly one of his predecessors, David Cameron, had championed.
Xi informed Starmer he hoped “the British facet will have a look at China objectively and rationally”, Xinhua stated.
Xi added that “China is able to interact the UK in dialogue on an equal footing, on the idea of mutual respect … (To) improve understanding and mutual belief”, Xinhua reported.
The Chinese language chief added that he noticed scope to “broaden cooperation in finance, the inexperienced financial system and synthetic intelligence”, the report added.