President Xi's state visit to Britain to push bilateral ties to new level

President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Britain's Prince William at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 2, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

LONDON - Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain will push China-UK comprehensive strategic partnership to a new stage, a visiting senior Chinese official has said.

Guo Jinlong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during a five-day official visit to Britain.

Guo, who wrapped up his visit on Monday, said China and Britain have garnered fruitful results from their recent high level exchanges in areas of economy, trade, finance and culture, and the two nations have maintained good dialogues and coordination in international affairs.

China is willing to work with the British side to further boost political trust and pragmatic cooperation, and promote the healthy development of China-UK relations to benefit the two peoples, he added.

Guo, secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and former Beijing mayor, said Beijing city is also willing to enhance practical cooperation with the British side in relevant fields.

The British side, on their part, said Britain values its relations with China, and the development of bilateral ties has gained momentum in recent years.

President Xi's state visit to Britain will be the top priority in UK-China relations this year, and Britain will work with China to ensure the complete success of the visit, the British side said.

The British side expressed hope that both nations will continue to deepen their cooperation in infrastructure, energy, finance and other areas, support more exchanges at local levels, and push UK-China ties to a new level.

During his visit, Guo met with British Business Secretary Sajid Javid, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Oliver Letwin, Prince Andrew the Duke of York, Acting Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman, London Mayor Boris Johnson, among others.

President Xi is scheduled to pay a state visit to Britain in October this year, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.