Chinese vice president attends King Charles III's coronation ceremony

LONDON -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng attended the coronation ceremony of King Charles III of the United Kingdom (UK) and related activities upon invitation from May 5 to May 6.

Han, who is also Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, conveyed to King Charles III President Xi's sincere congratulations and best wishes to the King and Queen Camilla, the British royal family and the British people, and thanked the British side for its thoughtful arrangements for his visit to the country.

Charles III asked Han to convey his heartfelt thanks and cordial greetings to President Xi, thanked the president and his wife Professor Peng Liyuan for sending congratulatory messages to him and the Queen, and welcomed Han's attendance to the coronation ceremony as President Xi's special representative.

Noting that the Britain-China relationship is very important, Charles III voiced hope that the two countries will carry out further cooperation in a wide range of fields such as green and low carbon, sustainable development and climate change, and expected China to continue to play a leading role in green development and other fields.

During his visit, Han also had brief meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Prince of Wales William, and held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden.

Han said that in the era of globalization, the economies of different countries are deeply connected. "China is continuing to promote high-quality development and will further promote high-level opening up, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with the British side for mutual benefit and common development."

Hailing that China-Britain cooperation has a good foundation and great potential, Han said that in recent years, bilateral trade and investment have continued to grow. The UK has become an important destination for Chinese companies to invest in Europe.

"It is hoped that the British government will create a fair, just and non-discriminatory investment environment for Chinese companies," said the vice president.

Britain is also an important destination for Chinese students and tourists, Han said, calling on the British side to provide a good and safe study and living environment for Chinese students as well as safety and convenience for Chinese tourists.

Both China and Britain are supporters, promoters and beneficiaries of economic globalization, multilateralism and free trade, Han said, noting that China is willing to conduct exchanges with the British side on a wide range of issues on the premise of mutual respect and equal treatment, enhance mutual understanding, narrow differences, and jointly promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the two countries and the world.

The British side said that both Britain and China are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and play important roles in international affairs.

The British side attaches great importance to developing relations with China, regards Han's visit as an important opportunity to promote bilateral relations, and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges with China and further expanding economic cooperation, they said.

They stressed that the British side is also ready to strengthen cooperation with China on a wider range of issues such as health, climate change and global stability, make joint efforts to build a stable and constructive relationship, and let Chinese companies, students and tourists feel welcome and safe.

On May 4, Han attended a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London.

In his speech, Han said the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn a grand blueprint for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

"China's development enjoys a strong leadership core, and its domestic and foreign policies are highly consistent and stable," Han said, noting that no matter how the world landscape changes, China will bring more opportunities through its own development and add more certainty and positive energy to the world.

He commended the important and positive role the British business community plays in promoting exchanges and cooperation with China, expressing hope that it will continue to contribute wisdom and strength to advancing bilateral relations.