UK seeks deeper trade cooperation, services agreement with China: ambassador

British Ambassador to China Peter Wilson said the UK is working to deepen trade cooperation with China and pursue a services agreement, emphasizing mutual benefit and a stable business environment.

In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Beijing, Wilson highlighted UK's efforts to increase exports, attract more reciprocal investment and advance talks on a legally binding services deal.

"We're going to work harder to get UK exports up to China and we're going to work towards a legally binding service agreement, that's a really big deal. In terms of sort of concrete stuff, I would hope that we are able to see an uptick in exports. I would also hope that we see an uptick in investment both ways. There was a big AstraZeneca investment into China, 15 billion U.S. dollars, announced in this trip. I expect over the next 12 months we will see significant Chinese investments into the UK too, that's good for both of us," he said.

The ambassador stressed that the UK champions free trade and opposes the politicization of commercial relations, seeking instead to provide confidence for businesses on both sides.

"We actually don't want to politicize trade. We want to provide a stable environment that gives confidence for our companies to trade with each other. We don't like it when there are blocks to trade, that's why we're a free trading nation. The nature and shape of our economy is built on that, and that's why we promote free trade around the world. It's really important for us that we just try to calm all of that down, so that our businesses really can find mutual advantage. It has to be mutual otherwise it doesn't work. Mutual advantage in trading with each other. We think we've got a lot to offer and we think we've got a lot to gain," he said.

The ambassador's interview coincided with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's four-day official visit to China in late January, at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

UK seeks deeper trade cooperation, services agreement with China: ambassador

Li Xi, a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with a delegation led by Dmitry Krutoi, head of the Administration of the President of Belarus, in Beijing on Monday.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said China is ready to work with Belarus to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and continue to firmly support each other on issues regarding each other's core interests and major concerns.

China is willing to enhance the alignment of development strategies and high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, strengthen multilateral collaboration and promote the bilateral ties with Belarus, Li said.

Krutoi said Belarus is firmly committed to developing the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and stands ready to learn from China's experience in state governance and party building to push the bilateral ties to a higher level.

Senior CPC official meets Belarusian delegation