Chinese, British FMs vow to deepen bilateral cooperation

BUENOS AIRES, May 21 -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Monday that it is necessary for China and Britain to enhance strategic communication and deepen strategic cooperation to continue to "inject new connotations" into the Golden Era of bilateral ties.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with his British counterpart Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' conference in Buenos Aires on Monday. [Photo: fmprc.gov.cn]

While meeting his British counterpart Boris Johnson on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' conference in Buenos Aires, Wang said that faced with the changing international situation, China and Britain, as major countries in the world and permanent members of the UN Security Council, should enhance strategic communication and deepen strategic cooperation to continue to "inject new connotations" into the Golden Era of bilateral ties.

Wang expressed the hope that the two countries, located on the two ends of Eurasian continent, would cooperate more actively on the Belt and Road construction.

Johnson said that Britain-China ties are very important, and Britain is willing to strengthen communication with China and reinforce coordination and cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels.

He added that Britain is willing to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and make the joint construction of the Belt and Road a component of the Golden Era of China-Britain ties.

The two sides also exchanged views on Iran's nuclear issue and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Wang said that China supports the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to have direct contacts and hopes the two sides would meet half way, remove obstructions, increase mutual understanding and hold the DPRK-U.S. summit as scheduled.