Prince Charles meets Chinese state councilor

LONDON—British Prince Charles met on Tuesday with visiting Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan with both agreeing that the two countries should have cooperation in the Olympics.
During the meeting with the visiting Chinese State Councilor, the prince was given a briefing on China’s preparations for the Beijing Olympics in August, and said that Beijing Olympics were very important, and the two countries could learn from each other since Britain would host the next Olympic Games in 2012.
The prince also hoped that Britain and China could cooperate on ecological protection, including tropic rain forest. Tang said British royal family had maintained friendly exchanges with China, and had played an important role in the development of the bilateral relations, hoping that the prince would continue his support for it.
On Monday, Tang had talks with British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, and Justice Secretary Jack Straw. Tang left Beijing on Saturday for visits to Britain and Japan at the invitation of the governments of the two countries.
Tang, as Chinese President Hu Jintao’s special envoy, will also visit the Republic of Korea (ROK) to attend the inauguration ceremony of ROK President Lee Myung-bak scheduled for Feb. 25.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown met here Monday with visiting Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, with both sides reiterating their commitment to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
Against a background of continued globalization, the common interests shared by China and Britain continue to expand, and the two countries have faced many global issues and challenges which need to be addressed jointly, said Tang. He added that strengthening Sino-British cooperation serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both sides, and is conducive to world peace and prosperity.
Brown’s successful visit to China last month showed that the bilateral relations had entered a new stage of the development, said Tang. The Chinese state councilor said both countries have a good opportunity to develop bilateral relations, as they have a strong willingness for cooperation.
China is willing to work with Britain to build on the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries during Brown’s recent visit, and push forward the development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between two countries. During the meeting, Brown said the development of bilateral relations is enjoying strong momentum, and Britain committed itself to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with China and is willing to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Britain is confident of the realization of the new bilateral trade goal set by the two countries last month, and hopes to further strengthen trade ties through the financial and economic dialogue at vice prime minister level, said Brown, adding that Britain welcomed the investment from Chinese industry, such as the China Investment Corporation. Brown said the stable and sustainable development of China’s economy makes an important contribution to the world, and Britain is expected to strengthen cooperation with China on reform of the international financial system to maintain stability in the world economy. —Xinhua