Brown welcomed China's development and at the same time stressed it was not a threat but an opportunity. He said the expanding dialogue and cooperation between China and Britain in the fields of economy, finance, science and technology, culture, education and human rights have exerted profound influence on the world economy and international community. Building a "harmonious world" and the pursuit of "scientific development," new concepts that China has celebrated in recent years, are conducive to the well-being of the people of the world and to the globalization progress, he said.

Britain expressed its readiness to expand its trade with and technology export to China, Liu said. Brown invited Chinese companies to invest in Britain and pledged to create good conditions for Chinese investors to make profits.

The two countries also vowed to strengthen their people-to-people exchanges and technological and cultural cooperation, Liu said. They reached a consensus on strengthening youth exchanges between the two countries, especially ones between young politicians. Both sides believe the Beijing Olympics in August will provide an important opportunity to intensify their cooperation in sports and culture. They will discuss signing a framework agreement on the exchange of athletes after 2008. London will host the Olympics in 2012.

The two sides also exchanged views on some major international and regional issues, including the Darfur conflict in Sudan, climate change, the environment and the reform of international institutions as proposed by Brown, Liu said. China and Britain signed a joint statement on climate change as well as eight agreements on cooperation in such fields as education and energy worth nearly $800 million.

On the Taiwan question, Brown said that Britain's consistent, clear and firm position on pursuing the one-China policy would not change.

Evolving relations

Since Brown took office in June 2007, Sino-British relations have undergone further development while maintaining their continuity. Prior to his visit to China, Brown had two telephone conversations with Premier Wen. Both leaders said relations between China and Britain were "better than ever."

In September, Simon McDonald, a foreign and defense issues advisor to the British prime minister, and Jon Cunliffe, an advisor on international economic affairs and Europe, attended the second session of China-Britain strategic dialogue in Beijing. Also during that month, a Chinese naval fleet visited Britain and conducted a maritime rescue exercise with the British navy. Then in December, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi visited Britain and reached a wide-ranging consensus with Brown and other British officials on promoting the two countries' partnership relations.

Cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges between China and Britain also have made headway. A six-month-long exhibition showcasing China's terracotta soldiers, musicians, chariot horses and other unearthed antiques dating back 2,000 years ago opened at the British Museum in September 2007. The British business community will launch a large cultural program called "China Now" across Britain from February to July. Some 100,000 Chinese students are studying in Britain. To date, 11 Confucius Institutes, non-profit educational institutions aimed at promoting the teaching of the Chinese language and culture, have been set up in Britain.

Besides enhancing their cultural exchanges, China and Britain have increased their trade. Between January and October 2007, their two-way trade reached $31.95 billion, up 28.8 percent from the same period of the previous year. By the end of September, Britain had set up 5,708 foreign investment projects in China, with contractual investment totaling $27.88 billion and an actual investment of $14.56 billion, making it the biggest European investor in China.

In a speech at the China-UK Business Summit held during Brown's visit to Beijing, Wen put forward a five-point proposal to promote the two countries' trade relations. He called for boosting trade in technology, seeking opportunities for joint innovation, enhancing cooperation in energy and environmental protection, deepening cooperation in financial services and reinforcing cooperation in intellectual property.

Feng said these proposals were quite practical. Because the Chinese and British economies are highly complementary, the goal of raising their bilateral trade volume to $60 billion by 2010 would be attainable, he added.

Ma Zhengang, President of the China Institute of International Studies, said trade in goods between China and Britain would continue increasing in the coming three years. Britain's service sector, which includes banking, insurance and financial services, is highly developed, and there is much room for the two countries to cooperate in these areas, he said. Transportation, clean energy and environmental protection are also potential areas for bilateral trade growth, Ma added.

Although China-EU relations have developed soundly in recent years, some disagreements, particularly over trade, have been occurring more frequently, Feng said. Some European countries, especially ones in Southern Europe, believe China poses an economic threat to them. Despite these concerns, Brown reaffirmed during his visit that his country sees China's economic development as an opportunity. The message is that Britain wants the EU to be more open to investment, including investment from China, Feng said.

Brown's visit was not only significant to bilateral relations, but also highly relevant to China-EU relations, Ma said. Britain's positive role in the EU will help reduce the friction and disputes between China and the Europe through their yearly talks, he said. The annual meeting mechanism between Chinese and European leaders was established when Britain held the rotating presidency of the EU in 1998.

Ma, who was China's ambassador to Britain from 1997 to 2002, said the biggest change in the public perception of China in Britain over the past decade is that Brits have begun to show interest in China's present and future, in addition to its past history and culture.