(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-06 10:32

Hong Kong - Former British prime minister Tony Blair said on Monday that the world must try to understand China in order to build partnerships with the fast-growing economy.

He said many countries had focused on fighting terrorism but that he believed they should also look at the huge recent growth of China.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair is seen speaking in Hong Kong on November 5, 2007. [Agenices]

"How to achieve partnership with China is as important as any other issues," he said during a dinner speech at the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

"It's particularly important for us to understand what's happening in China. " he added.

Blair arrived in Hong Kong on a private jet Monday as part of his lecture circuit around China. He will give a luncheon speech for Merrill Lynch on Tuesday before heading to the mainland, a source said.

He is expected to visit the booming southern Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan before going to the capital of Beijing. It was not clear how long he will stay in the country.

Blair has been predicted to earn a lucrative income through speeches and books after he stepped down as British prime minister in June. He recently signed a deal to write his memoirs that was estimated at as much as 5 million pounds (US$10.4 million).

The Guardian newspaper said Blair was represented by the same US lawyer, Robert Barnett, who negotiated a multi-million-dollar deal for the memoirs of former US President Bill Clinton.

Clinton reportedly collected nearly US$40 million in speaking fees over the past six years.