President Xi Jinping's pledge that China and the United Kingdom will build a "global comprehensive strategic partnership" in the 21st century will bring Sino-UK relations to a new level and endow bilateral ties with a significance that goes beyond bilateral scope. [Special coverage]
In his talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday, Xi described the upgraded Sino-UK partnership as opening up a golden era for an enduring, inclusive and win-win relationship that will make sure the two sides jointly create a brighter future for bilateral relations.
The noticeable improvement in Sino-UK ties has been the result of the strong political will from both sides to transcend their differences and shore up mutual
respect, reciprocal cooperation and mutual learning.
During Xi's ongoing visit to the UK, the two sides have signed a number of intergovernmental and business deals worth about 40 billion pounds ($62 billion),
including an eye-catching agreement that means China will partly finance a UK nuclear plant.
This nuclear project will be China's first in the West, and according to Cameron, it will create more than 25,000 jobs in Britain and provide reliable, affordable energy to nearly 6million homes when operational.
Such fruitful results show China and the UK are sub-stantiating their cooperation with concrete deals. And as Cameron has said, a strong economic relationship can withstand frank disagreements on some other issues.
Beijing and London have set a good example in developing ties between a major developing country and a major Western power. Under the principle of voluntarism, the Sino-UK partnership can be expanded to include other partners so as to bring benefits to more countries.
Xi has stressed the open and inclusive nature of China-UK comprehensive strategic partnership, which means the stronger bond between Beijing and London does not target any existing alliance or partnership the two have forged with other countries.
Under the principle of voluntarism, Sino-UK partnership can be expanded to include other partners so as to bring benefits to more countries. The quick reconciliation and warming of bilateral ties between China and the UK would not have been possible if the two sides had not deepened their mutual understanding, built mutual trust and committed to reciprocal and meaningful interaction.
We have every reason to believe Beijing and London will continue to build on the current good momentumin their relations, which will not only cater to the interests of the two partners themselves but also contribute to the common prosperity of the entire world.
