British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday kicks off his first official visit to China since he took office in May. Featuring more than 40 business leaders and four of Cameron's senior ministers from his government, it is the biggest such delegation Britain has ever sent to China. "It is the biggest delegation ever to China, led by a British Prime Minister". 

China-Britain cooperation outweighs competition
Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Wednesday that cooperation was stronger than competition between China and Britain because the two economies were compatible with each other. >>> 

Chinese President meets British PM
Chinese President Hu Jintao met with British Prime Minister David Cameron in Beijing Wednesday. Hu greeted Cameron in the Great Hall of the People in downtown Beijing, and asked the prime minister to convey his sincere greetings to Queen Elizabeth II.>>>

Putting great store in Sino-UK ties
Beijing is expecting London to expand cooperation in the fields of high-end manufacturing, innovation industry, finance service, energy saving and environmental protection, said Wen during the meeting. He also urged Britain to further release the restrictions on high-tech exports to China, a move that would be conducive to more balanced and sustainable bilateral trade growth. >>> 

China-UK economic talks end with important agreements
Both China and the UK stressed that the transformation of economic development patterns and structural adjustment was essential to the sustainable development of both economies, and the UK reaffirmed its support for EU recognition of China's market economy status at an early date. >>>

British PM starts official visit to China
David Cameron is to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and hold talks with Premier Wen Jiabao. Cameron will also attend the China-UK Business Summit along with Chinese leaders and deliver a speech at Peking University. >>>

UK's Cameron seeks to double trade with China
British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was aiming to double bilateral trade with China to more than $100 billion a year by 2015 as he was due to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday at the head of a major trade mission. >>> 

Sino-UK trade to top PM visit
Boosting bilateral trade is set to top David Cameron's agenda during the British Prime Minister's first China visit this month since taking office in May.>>> 

UK leader's China visit to be 'historic'
"It is the biggest-ever visit of UK ministers to China - and I'd go as far as to say it is a historic event," Sebastian Wood, the UK's ambassador to China told local press at a briefing in the embassy. He said it is a clear sign of the new coalition government's strong commitment to building on the relationship, and intensifying overall engagement with China. >>> 

British PM to visit China with largest-ever delegation
Cameron will lead the largest-ever delegation to China, which is composed of Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Vincent Cable as well as about 50 leading figures from the nation's industrial and commercial sectors. >>> 

Cameron sees China's rise as an opportunity
As British Prime Minister David Cameron entered a Peking University lecture hall on Wednesday to meet more than 500 students, he did so with his own fond memories of living and studying in Hong Kong more than two decades earlier.  

'Britain is wide open to Chinese finance'
Britain is confident of becoming a more attractive destination for Chinese investors, according to a business leader with British Prime Minister David Cameron's delegation to China.  

UK's Cameron in Beijing on business-centered visit
British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, leading his country's largest-ever official delegation to China in the latest European push to win business and spur a sluggish economy at home. 

China, UK seek closer ties in economic dialogue
Chinese and British officials convened the third China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing Tuesday to discuss bilateral cooperation and coordination on issues of common concern. 

Here are some details of Sino-UK relations:

Trade

-- The UK is China's third largest trading partner in the EU, while China is the UK's second largest non-EU trading partner.

-- According to Chinese statistics, from January to September 2010 trade between the two countries grew to $35.75 billion, up almost 30 percent year-on-year and higher than before the financial crisis.

-- Britain ranks alongside Germany as the largest EU investor in China, and China has become the sixth largest investor in Britain. China's investment in Britain has grown from 59 projects in 2008-09 to over 74 projects in 2009-10, up 25 percent.

Recent Major visits

-- William Hague made his first official visit to China as foreign secretary in July.

-- Finance Minister George Osborne visited China in June, shortly after the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took office. He said that China had managed its economy well during recent global turmoil and he hoped it was preparing to take on a larger world leadership role in financial and political affairs.

-- In January 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in London as part of a European tour aimed at tackling the global financial and economic crisis and improving relations.

-- A year earlier, then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown told China on a visit that he wanted Britain to be the number one choice for Chinese trade and investment, as he sought to take the relationship to a "higher level".

-- In October 1999, at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth, Jiang Zemin paid the first state visit by a Chinese president to Britain.

China-Britain ties keep good momentum: ambassador

China and Britain have maintained strong growth of economic and business ties and closer cooperation in education and culture. Britain is China's third largest trading partner in the European Union (EU) and the largest EU investor in China. Meanwhile, China has become the sixth largest investor in Britain in terms of the number of investment projects. >>>

A boost to Sino-UK relations

China's leadership will be aware that Britain, like much of Europe, is going through a period of protracted economic strife. This is already having important strategic implications. The coalition government has outlined a controversial package of public spending cuts, which includes an 8 percent reduction in defense spending and a 24 percent cut to the Foreign Office's budget over the coming four years. >>>

Pragmatic delegation

The fact that Cameron is leading the biggest delegation ever by a British prime minister to China, one which includes political and business heavyweights, speaks volumes about the importance the new British government, a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, has attached to its relations with China. >>> 

Where will China-Britain relations go?

As Tory leader David Cameron entered 10 Downing Street on May 11, Britain's first coalition government under parliament since 1974 was finally formed.

We had some political skirmishes between China and UK during Gordon Brown's term. In addition to disagreements over human rights and Darfur, the two sides traded barbs over emission reduction and tariff barriers.

How will the new government define China-Britain relations? Will it make a fresh start or continue the path of Brown's policy? >>>

Good start to Sino-UK ties 

During his four-day visit to Beijing this week, the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary David Miliband on several occasions repeated a popular platitude of recent years: The world needs China, and China needs the world.

Putting aside the talks about China's growing economic interdependence with the rest of the world, Miliband's statement could be seen as a declaration that London now sees Beijing as a partner and is willing to expand cooperation.

If this is true, it is good news for bilateral ties and its long-term growth. At the moment, we hope London will make concrete efforts to mend the marred relationship with Beijing. >>>