Leading officials optimistic about China-Britain relations

China's top diplomat Wang Yi has met with Jonathan Powell, the man who acts as national security adviser to the British prime minister. After Wednesday's meeting in Beijing, Wang called on the two countries to strengthen cooperation and jointly address global challenges.

Powell is accompanying British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his four-day visit to China, which began on Wednesday. It is the first official visit by a British prime minister to the country in eight years.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said he believes the two leaders will reach a consensus on advancing a long-term, stable and comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Britain, injecting strong momentum into bilateral institutional exchanges and cooperation across various fields.

Noting that China and Britain are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Wang said that, amid a turbulent and intertwined international landscape, the two countries should work together to uphold the international system with the UN at its core.

Powell said China is the world's second-largest economy and a major country with significant global influence, adding that the absence of high-level exchanges between Britain and China in recent years does not serve the interests of the two peoples.

He said London hopes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with Beijing at all levels and across all fields, and to develop a more coherent and comprehensive strategic partnership.

Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the Ukraine crisis.