Chinese leaders meet with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair Monday in Beijing, pledging to enhance bilateral relations.

Hu meets with Blair

President Hu Jintao said China's new leadership attaches great importance to Sino-British ties and will work with the British side to ensure that the overall bilateral partnership achieves even greater progress.

Hu and Blair in talks [Reuters]

Hu said Sino-British ties have witnessed new developments in recent years with frequent contacts between leaders of the two countries and strengthened bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Bilateral trade volume has also been growing, and the United Kingdom (UK) has taken the lead among European Union countries in investing in China, Hu said.

He said the consultation and dialogue mechanism established between the two countries and the China-UK Forum are functioning well, adding that China and the UK have maintained close communication and consultation on international issues.

Hu said China and Britain are influential countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the further consolidation of the overall bilateral partnership is consistent with the interests of the two peoples and conducive to world peace,stability and development.

The two countries should enhance mutual, political trust, further reciprocal cooperation, expand the fields of common interests and ensure the proper handling of bilateral differences and concerns.

Hu also briefed Blair on the Chinese government's consistent principles and position on Hong Kong.

Blair said he was delighted to see the strong development momentum of bilateral ties in recent years, underlining that the smooth handover of Hong Kong six years ago had opened a new chapter for bilateral relations.

He went on to say that China's economy is growing rapidly and the country enjoys increasing influence in international affairs.

He said Britain and China share similar views on many international issues and have wide-ranging common interests in promoting world peace and development.

All these represent significant opportunities for the development of the two countries, Blair noted, pledging that Britain is willing to join hands with China to continuously advance bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Jiang sees bright prospects for Sino-British relations

Earlier, Jiang Zemin, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of China, met with Blair, expressing his welcome to the British Prime Minister.

Jiang shakes hands with Blair.[Reuters]

Jiang said China and Britain should make further efforts to inaugurate a new era of overall cooperation between the two countries.

Jiang and Blair exchanged views on bilateral relations and the current international state of affairs.

Jiang said Sino-British relations had experienced highs and lows over the past several decades, adding that bilateral ties had entered a new stage of sustained growth beginning in 1997 and have since demonstrated unprecedented vigor and great potential.

This proves that the two sides can move forward together and develop on a mutual basis as long as they share mutual respect and treat each other as equals, Jiang said.

With regard to the current international situation, Jiang said the issue of peace is increasingly important in the increasingly interdependent world.

Fighting terrorism, promoting the global economy, eliminating poverty and protecting the environment all require dialogue, consultation and cooperation among people of all countries on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit, Jiang said.

He said that, given the obvious disparities between countries, it is natural for them to have differences of opinion. Despite this, he underlined that China's traditional philosophy advocates peaceful co-existence, mutual benefit and a win-win situation.

He said all countries should respect each other in political terms, promote mutual economic development and learn from each other in cultural terms. This is good for the progress of mankind, he said.

Blair said when China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong six years ago, bilateral relations entered a new era. Over the years, cooperation between the two countries has grown rapidly as the spheres of cooperation expanded. He expressed satisfaction with the status of bilateral ties.

Blair said Britain wishes to consolidate its bilateral cooperation with China in order to deal more effectively with the multiple challenges of today's world. He said Britain stands willing to work with China to maintain stability and to promote global development.

Wen and Blair hail momentum of bilateral relations

Premier Wen Jiabao and Blair hold a 65-minute talks Monday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Both men hailed the momentum of bilateral relations, and Blair said during the talks that he thought highly of the China's way of resolving latest problems in Hong Kong.

Blair and Wen hold talks.[Reuters]

Wen said he is fully confident that the trade volume between the two countries could reach US$15 billion in three to five years, from US$11.4 billion last year. Wen welcomed British companies to invest in central and western China.

The Chinese premier also put forward four proposals to guide future bilateral ties, namely, to maintain high-level mutual visit of government officials, to expand trade and economic cooperation, to enhance cultural and educational exchange, and to resolve each other's discrepancies and difference through consultations and dialogues.

Blair, on his first trip to China in five years, expressed his belief that the strengthened relationship between Britain and China would, beyond any doubt, continue to develop in economic and political fields. Britain is China's largest investor in Europe.

Blair also spoke highly of the policy of "One Country, Two Systems". The British Prime Minister said he is glad to see the policy of 'One Country, Two Systems' is proved effective in Hong Kong in the past six years.

Blair said Britain respect China's way of resolving recent problems in Hong Kong.

On July 1, the sixth anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents staged a demonstration. Later, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government led by Tung Chee Hwa postponed the legislation procedure of the contentious Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law.

Blair told Wen that he hoped Hong Kong could maintain stability, believing the latest HK problems could be properly solved. To this end, Blair promised that British government is willing to do its part.

Blair: Beijing can host an excellent Olympic games

Blair said Beijing can host an excellent Olympic games in 2008 while meeting with Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games (BOCOG).

Liu said that China can learn a great deal from Britain's abundant experience, which have hosted two summer Olympic Games along with a number of major sporting events.

Blair said he also hopes to learn from Beijing's successful experience in bidding for Olympic events. London has announced its intention to bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the British side hopes to strengthen contacts with the Chinese side in this regard.

During the meeting, Liu showed Blair the National Stadium, the main stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games, the main structure of which was designed by the famous British design company, Arup.

Liu said the bidding process for the Olympic Green and other major stadiums is progressing well.

Liu also expressed his hope that more excellent British companies will join in the preparations for the Beijing Olympics and wished London every success in its bid for the 2012 Olympic Games.

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