China, UK share broad cooperation potential: spokesperson

LONDON, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China and the United Kingdom (UK) share broad potential for cooperation, and China is prepared to work with the new UK government to strengthen cooperation in various fields, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK said on Tuesday.

At a briefing with Chinese and UK journalists, the spokesperson said that the two countries, as permanent members of the United Nations' Security Council and major economies in the world, share a wide range of common interests and have extensive opportunities for cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, science and technology, education, combating climate change, as well as international and regional affairs.

Earlier this month, the Labour Party swept into power with a landslide victory in the UK's general election, ending 14 years of Conservative government.

"China is willing to work with the new UK government -- based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and non-interference in internal affairs -- to promote the healthy and stable development of China-UK relations," the spokesperson said.

The Chinese and British economies are highly complementary, with broad potential for cooperation in areas such as high-end manufacturing, new energy, electric vehicles, financial services, biopharmaceuticals, and creative industries, the diplomat said. "We are willing to share development opportunities with the UK and strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in these areas."

The spokesperson noted that the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) adopted a resolution on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization at its third plenary session, which concluded on July 18 in Beijing.

China, by further deepening reform comprehensively and pursuing high-standard opening-up, will enhance stability and certainty for a world of change and disorder, and create more development opportunities for countries around the world, including the UK, said the spokesperson.

The International Monetary Fund recently revised China's 2024 economic growth up to 5 percent in an update to its World Economic Outlook, compared with its 4.6-percent forecast in April.

The move came after the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 5 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year.

Half-year data show that industrial upgrading has accelerated in the world's manufacturing powerhouse. Intelligent green products, such as integrated circuits, service robots, and new energy vehicles, have continued to experience double-digit growth in output.

"Some Western media have been keen on spreading pessimistic narratives about China's development prospects. Their predictions have been and will continue to be defeated by facts. The clamouring for 'decoupling' and 'de-risking' from China will only backfire and will not stop China's development," the spokesperson said.