London, June 10th—Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with Tony Blair, former Leader of the Labour Party and former Prime Minister of the UK.   

Liu commended Blair for his long-term contributions to the development of China-UK relations. Liu said, both boasting a long history and splendid culture, China and the UK have deeply intertwined interests and a solid foundation for cooperation, and should therefore become strong cooperative partners. Last year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a phone call and a meeting, reached important consensus, and charted the course for the future development of bilateral relations. China is willing to work with the UK to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen cooperation across fields including economy, trade, investment, science, technology, clean energy, education, and expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges, especially youth exchanges. As the international situation experiences increasing unstable and uncertain factors, China and the UK, the two permanent members of the UN Security Council, should exhibit a strong sense of responsibility, enhance multilateral communication and coordination, jointly maintain world peace and stability, and promote common development. The CPC is willing to work with all political parties in the UK, including the Labour Party, to make good use of the China-UK Senior Leadership Forum, strengthen political dialogue, and enhance mutual understanding. 

Blair said, since the Labour Party came to power again last year, UK-China relations have shown momentum of improvement. I am optimistic about the future of UK-China relations. The two sides should seize the opportunity and make tangible efforts to promote cooperation in economy, trade, investment, etc. In the turbulent and complex international situation, the UK and China should strengthen multilateral coordination and jointly respond to challenges such as climate change and large-scale infectious diseases. China has made significant progress in artificial intelligence, which has attracted global attention. We should think about how to promote the application of technology to boost the development of various countries. The UK and China can strengthen cooperation in this field.