Xi calls on China, UK to adopt rational, objective perspective on each other's development

China and Britain should uphold their strategic partnership and open up new prospects for bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the 19th G20 Summit on Monday in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.

Xi recalled the phone talks between the two leaders back in August, during which they reached a consensus on viewing China-UK relations from a long-term and strategic perspective and enhancing dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.

He said he looks forward to maintaining regular communication with Starmer and asked the British prime minister to convey his sincere greetings to King Charles III.

Noting that both China and the UK are major economies, Xi said that the two countries should shoulder their responsibilities not only for their own countries' development but also to promote greater cooperation among the international community.

"Currently, the world is in a period of turbulence and transformation. As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major world economies, both China and the UK bear the responsibility of advancing the development of their respective countries, while also shouldering the duty of addressing global challenges. The new UK government is committed to fixing the economy and rebuilding the country, proposing to re-engage with the international community. China is further deepening reforms comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization, sharing development opportunities with countries around the world and promoting unity and cooperation within the international community," Xi said.

The Chinese president also underscored the need for the two countries to further enhance cooperation in multiple areas so as to benefit the two peoples.

"China and the UK have vast cooperation potential in trade and investment, clean energy, financial services, healthcare, and people's well-being. Both sides should aim to better promote development, serve the people, and benefit the world. The two countries should uphold the strategic partnership, adhere to mutual respect, open cooperation, exchange and mutual learning, and achieve mutual benefits and win-win outcomes. This will open up new prospects for China-UK relations amidst global changes, and better reflect the value of the era and global significance of the bilateral relationship," said Xi.

For his part, Starmer said that Britain and China share extensive common interests and bear significant responsibilities in addressing global challenges and safeguarding world peace and development, adding that an enduring and strong bilateral relationship is vital not only for the two countries but also for the world at large.

The British side hopes to strengthen dialogue with China, enhance mutual understanding and carry out exchanges and cooperation in a wide range of areas, including economy and trade, technology, finance, healthcare, education, and addressing climate change, in a spirit of mutual respect, equality and candor, said Starmer.

Both countries are committed to multilateralism, and Britain stands ready to enhance multilateral communication and coordination with China to push for political solutions to regional hotspot issues, he added.

The 19th G20 Summit will take place on Monday and Tuesday, under the theme of "Building a just world and a sustainable planet".

Xi calls on China, UK to adopt rational, objective perspective on each other's development

Xi calls on China, UK to adopt rational, objective perspective on each other's development

Xi calls on China, UK to adopt rational, objective perspective on each other's development

China's expanding ties with the Global South have pushed trade growth far beyond the global average despite the tariff pressure from the U.S., according to experts.

"Whilst the Trump tariffs ultimately led to a significant drop-off in Chinese exports to the United States and vice versa, the trading relationships across much of the rest of the world continue to grow, and China's trading relationships across the Belt and Road Initiative countries, as well as with the Global South, more broadly speaking, has grown at rates far greater than global trade growth as a whole. And we see that evidenced by the latest data. When we break that down, we see that has been underpinned by the developments in high-technology products in particular, whether it's EVs, whether it's even in semiconductors, as well as photovoltaic panels, etc.," said Dr. Warwick Powell, an adjunct professor at the Queensland University of Technology, in a TV interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Thursday.

"And you've got to look at the places where the growth is taking place. Africa, I think, is a very interesting case in point, because the kinds of things that China has been exporting and expanding in terms of its exports are all about African economic development -- its machinery, its energy systems, its technology, and this really goes to delivering on China's broader strategic ambition as an emerging great power to be an enabling great power, supporting the development of its partners around the world," he added.

Qian Jun, executive dean of International School of Finance at Fudan University, attributed the trade growth to Chinese firms' endeavor to tap into key regions like ASEAN, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

"The main increase of export comes from, as we have discussed, these new areas: The ASEAN economy -- southeast Asia remains the most important trading partner -- and also Latin America, the Middle East, and these [other such] new regions. So, the exporters of the Chinese companies are also very good at adjusting their destinies, their strategies, how to market their goods and services, so that the reliance on the U.S., for example, has gone down a lot," Qian said.

China's trade momentum increasingly powered by Global South: experts