Chinese FM calls on Britain to 'strengthen exchanges and cooperation'
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At the Munich Security Conference, the Chinese Foreign Minister told his British counterpart that both countries should work on enhancing their relationship.
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China's Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi speaks at the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Munich, on February 18, 2023. (AP)
Beijing state media reported today that at the Munich Security Conference, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi informed British Foreign Secretary David Cameron that China and Britain should "strengthen exchanges and cooperation."
Xinhua News Agency announced today that Wang told his counterpart at the conference yesterday that both countries should "enhance strategic communication and play their due roles in promoting security and maintaining peace."
He also warned that "resurfacing Cold War mentality, rampant protectionism, and sluggish economic recovery" are some of the challenges the world is currently facing further, urging China and Britain to "strengthen exchanges and cooperation... and bring bilateral relations back to the right track of sound and steady development".
It is noteworthy that China and the UK have been in disagreement in recent months over accusations of espionage. One incident was last month when the Chinese foreign ministry revealed that it sentenced a British national to jail for spying, not to mention criticism leveled against the UK for supporting anti-PRC protesters in Hong Kong.
Wang is expected to make a speech today at the annual security gathering in Munich, which hosts top diplomatic and military officials from around the world and is seen as a barometer of transatlantic relations.
US and China held 'candid, constructive' talks
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held "candid and constructive" talks with Wang on Friday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
Blinken and Wang's meeting came after an extremely fraught period between the two world giants over issues such as tensions over Taiwan and trade.
Blinken underlined the "importance of continuing to implement the progress made" by a November summit between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
He also raised the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.
