China's rise an opportunity for UK

Updated: 2011-09-27 10:33

By  Zhang Chunyan and Cecily Liu (chinadaily.com.cn)

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Developed countries should see the rise of developing nations as an opportunity, giving support and respect, State Councilor Dai Bingguo said on Monday.

Dai, who oversees foreign affairs, made the remarks during the third China-UK Strategic Dialogue with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London.

Many emerging developing countries begin to rise as developed countries keep prosperity, Dai said, adding they should "open the door for their participation in global governance and response to major international problems."

Dai stressed that peaceful development is a strategic choice for China, and it is inseparable from the understanding and support from the international community including the UK.

"China will work together with international society to play more constructive role to promote world peace," Dai said.

Hague noted, "We live in a networked world that needs a global community to address problems. Our comprehensive relationship with China gives us the opportunity to address those challenges and discuss solutions together."

The UK takes the rise of developing countries as an opportunity, Hague said, adding that the country will cooperate closely with China and other emerging countries to meet global challenges, establishing global partnerships through dialogue.

The two sides discussed a full range of international issues and looked for new opportunities for the two countries to work together in future.

"We will continue to work with China on the global political agenda, as well as developing our economies, and a wider range of cultural exchanges on education, science and climate change," said Hague.

Miwa Hirono, research fellow of the China Policy Institute at University of Nottingham‏, told China Daily, since the early 2000s, China has attempted to project its international image as a ‘responsible state', partly to counter the ‘China threat' theory.

"Such theory hampers China's aim to secure peaceful environment conducive to its continuing economic development," said Hirono.

China's strong will to promote such image in the China-UK Strategic Dialogue is revealed by Dai's commentary on ‘peaceful development', published in the UK's Sunday Telegraph just ahead of the meeting, Hirono noted.

Dai published the signed article, addressing that the Chinese government recently released a White Paper titled China's Peaceful Development, in which it declared to the world that peaceful development is a strategic choice China has made.

"We hope that the world will welcome China's peaceful development rather than doing anything to obstruct it," Dai said in his article.

Dialogues like the China-UK Strategy Dialogue are important to address specific needs of both countries, Justin Wintle, British journalist, author, and East Asian political analyst also said.

"I believe it is important for China to take such opportunities to assure the UK that there is a level playing field for investment in its domestic market. To spread the message about its open market will benefit both China and the UK," said Wintle.

China-UK relations have maintained sound momentum of development in recent years. The two countries have established the comprehensive strategic partnership and sound dialogue and exchange mechanisms and have formed the pattern of all-round cooperation.

This dialogue follows the state visit to the UK by Premier Wen Jiabao in June and a visit in September by Vice-Premier Wang Qishan, who co-chairs the Fourth China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue.

Dai will meet British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday.