exchanges

Chinese Premier Meets British Foreign Secretary

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in Beijing on July 30， hailing the positive progress in China-UK ties and substantial cooperation in all areas.

Li indicated that China expects to advance all-round development of bilateral relations and cooperation with Britain， underpinned by a principle of mutual respect and equal treatment.

He called on the two sides to make good use of each others advantages and expand cooperation in various areas， and take the opportunity of the launch of the Shanghai-London Stock Connect within the year to cultivate new growth points for cooperation and achieve winwin results.

“China will work to create a better business environment for foreign companies in the country， including those from Britain，”Li said， hoping for Britain to provide a sound system guarantee for Chinese companies to invest in the U.K.

Hunt， who was on his first visit to China as British foreign secretary， hailed the development of a “Golden Era” of bilateral relations.

Britain looks forward to the annual meeting of the two heads of government next year， and is willing to continue cementing political trust with China and synergizing development strategies， said Hunt.

Given that the international situation stands at a critical point， Britain and China should enhance communication and coordination， jointly uphold multilateralism， free trade， and safeguard the international order based on rules， he said.

Hunt co-chaired the ninth China-UK Strategic Dialogue with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 30.

“There are many misunderstandings and misinterpretations about Chinas goals and intentions. What we mean by this new era is that China has entered a new stage of development， with the major challenge being to meet the peoples ever-growing needs for a better life and address unbalanced and inadequate development. Of course， China will have to develop itself in an open environment. We cannot close our door. But this new era is mainly for Chinas own development， not for global dominance.”

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai made the remark while attending the Second Session of the 8th U.S.-China Civil Dialogue hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Chinese Foreign Minister Holds Talks with UNGA President

On August 6， 2018， State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with President of the 73rd Session of the United Nations （UN） General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa in Beijing.

Wang Yi noted that China is a firm supporter， defender， and practitioner of multilateralism. President Xi Jinping proposed building a community with a shared future for mankind， which is not only the continuation and development of the spirit of the UN Charter， but also the best interpretation of multilateralism. The proposition of the Belt and Road Initiative is an important action to implement the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind， as well as an important measure to carry forward multilateralism. China will fully support the work of the President of the UN General Assembly， and improve the efficiency and capability of tackling global challenges， in a bid to make the UN General Assembly play a greater role in the work of the UN.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa expressed that she visited China first after her election as President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly， which embodied the great importance she attached to China. She thanked China for consistently and firmly committing to supporting multilateralism and the role of the UN. Maria Fernanda Espinosa expected to further enhance cooperation with the Chinese side.

China， Russia Vow to Safeguard “Just and Equitable”International Order

Senior officials from China and Russia vowed on August 15 to jointly safeguard a “just and equitable” international order， and promote global and regional peace and stability.

Yang Jiechi， a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee， and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev made the remarks while cohosting the 14th round of the China-Russia strategic security consultation.

Yang said both countries should firmly support each other on issues of major concern， increase coordination within multilateral frameworks， and jointly push for the settlement of international hot-spot issues.

He said China-Russia relations are developing at a high level and have entered the best period in their history under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Patrushev said Russia-China ties are developing at an unprecedentedly high level thanks to the efforts of both presidents.

Russia is ready to continue high-level contacts and strengthen strategic coordination， he said.

The two sides also discussed issues concerning the Korean Peninsula， the Middle East， and the Iran nuclear deal， reaching broad consensus.