China, Britain should join hands to tackle global challenges: Wang Yi

JAKARTA -- China and Britain should show their responsibility as major countries and work together to tackle global challenges, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said here on Friday.

In a brief conversation with Britain's Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly, Wang, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, China and Britain share the common responsibility of maintaining world peace and stability.

Mutual respect for each other's core interests and non-interference in each other's internal affairs is an inherent principle of China-Britain friendly cooperation, Wang noted.

China is committed to developing stable and mutually beneficial relations with Britain and is willing to maintain strategic communication with the British side, build up mutual trust and promote positive results in bilateral cooperation, Wang said.

For his part, Cleverly once again congratulated China on its success in facilitating the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and appreciated China's key role in major international peace and security issues.

He said he looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges and strategic communication with China to add positive elements to bilateral relations.