British Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in Beijing early
Friday morning for an official visit to China till Sunday, the
first since he took office last June.
During his stay in Beijing, President Hu Jintao and top legislator Wu Bangguo will meet with him, and Premier Wen Jiabao will hold talks with him.
Wen and Brown are expected to have informal discussions with
student and citizen representatives at the Renmin University of
China, and watch a table tennis game of players from the two
countries.
Besides, Brown will attend a Sino-British business summit, and
visit the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest, and other Olympic
venues.
The three-day visit will also take the British prime minister to
Shanghai, an economic and financial hub in east China.
Brown said in a written interview with Xinhua prior to his visit
that the comprehensive strategic relationship between Britain and
China is "better than ever," expressing the willingness to move
forward relations with China during the visit.
Currently, China-Britain relations have maintained a good
momentum of development with increased high-level exchanges and
reinforced strategic mutual trust.
Bilateral trade and economic cooperation has enjoyed continued
development with Britain remaining the biggest investor in China
among the EU members.
Trade volume between China and Britain was estimated to have
reached US$40 billion in 2007.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2008)
