Wang urges UK to take ties back on track

Beijing and London should make joint efforts to properly handle differences and contradictions and push China-UK relations back to the track of healthy and stable development, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday of local time.

Wang made the remarks during a meeting in Munich, Germany, with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on the sidelines of the ongoing Munich Security Conference.

The two countries should also expand the convergence of interests and strengthen engagement and cooperation, Wang added.

"This is in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of the two countries and the common expectation of the international community," he said.

At present, the international situation witnesses intertwined turmoil and chaos, the rise of Cold War mentality, rampant protectionism, slow economic recovery and global challenges, Wang said.

China and the UK, both as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should strengthen strategic communication and play a due role in promoting security and maintaining peace, he said.

Cameron said the British side is willing to look at the UK-China relationship from a strategic perspective, develop a more constructive bilateral relationship with China, and manage differences and solve problems by showing respect to one another.

London will continue to promote cooperation in areas of common interest, and it looks forward to strengthening dialogue with Beijing in areas such as renewable energy, trade, economy and education.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council, the UK and China should work together to maintain peace and security and build a better world, he added.

During the talks, Wang said China is a major country with the best record in peace and security, and China's development represents a growth in forces seeking peace and a growth in stabilizing factors.

He said China advocates and practices real multilateralism, and the country firmly upholds the international system with the United Nations at its core, the basic norms of international relations with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter at its core, and the international order based on international law.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn