Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng has called for closer cooperation with Britain in areas including financial services, biomedicine and artificial intelligence, as both sides seek to repair ties after prolonged tensions.
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Mutually beneficial economic relations could act as a “stabilising anchor” in the relationship, the vice-premier told the 11th China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing.
He co-hosted the event with British finance minister Rachel Reeves, as the dialogue mechanism was revived after nearly six years.
Reeves, who arrived in Beijing for a two-day trip on Saturday, is the most senior British government official to visit China since Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October.
After years of friction over issues including security and China’s human rights record, relations have begun to improve since the Labour government came to power in London last year. Both sides have also been struggling to grow their respective economies and are bracing for more uncertainties as Donald Trump returns as US president.
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The annual economic and financial dialogue, launched in 2008, had been on hold since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and strained ties over issues including Hong Kong, a former British colony.