Beijing, January 20th—Lu Kang, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today on the morning with Jonathan Allen, Director General of Defence and Intelligence at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom (UK).  

Lu said, recently, President Xi Jinping and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had a phone call and a meeting, charting the course for and injecting strong impetus into the development of China-UK relations. China and the UK, the two permanent members of the UN Security Council and major economies in the world, have special responsibilities for responding to global challenges. China is willing to work with the UK to implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, strengthen dialogue and cooperation at all levels and in all areas, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and strengthen communication on international and regional affairs, so as to benefit the two countries and the world with a stable and mutually beneficial China-UK relationship. The IDCPC will maintain regular exchanges with the FCDO to help political parties of both countries strengthen political dialogue. 

Allen said, the Labour government regards boosting economic growth and maintaining national security as the primary task, and stays committed to developing a UK-China relationship featuring mutual respect, coherence and strategic significance. The UK is willing to work with China to implement the important consensus of the leaders of the two countries, strengthen dialogue and coordination on addressing climate change, artificial intelligence governance and international and regional hot issues, as well as maintain world security and stability. The FCDO attaches importance to the IDCPC's important role in the relationship between the two countries and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.