Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister David Cameron both hailed the U.K.-China relationship during a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon at 10 Downing Street, during Xi’s state visit to the United Kingdom.
The two leaders met with each other and senior members of their governments in the cabinet room.
Xi said that China and the U.K. have built “a global comprehensive strategic partisanship in the 21st century, and jointly open up an enduring, inclusive and win-win China-U.K. relationship.” Meanwhile, Cameron said that the two nations had a strong economic relationship as well as some frank disagreements.
“The stronger the relationship between our countries, the more we’ll be able to have a serious dialogue,” Cameron said.
Xi also signed an agreement that will see China’s state-owned power company take a 6 billion-pound ($9.3 billion), 35 percent share in a new plant to be built with France’s EDF (Électricité de France S.A.) a French electric utility company.
Cameron said China’s agreement to partly finance a U.K. nuclear power plant is a “historic” deal that will create thousands of British jobs.
Xi also took a question on human rights issues during the press conference. Xi responded that China has attached great importance on the protection of human rights, as China has combined the universal value of human rights with its own reality. Xi also said that is room for the improvement of human rights.
Story compiled with information from Xinhua and Associated Press