UK Prime Minister Theresa May reaffirms UK-China Trade Relations

G20 Meeting in September

Newly Elected U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May recently sent a written correspondence to the top two officials of China, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, to reaffirm that the UK is intent in establishing strong economic and trade partnerships with China.

May expressed in her letter that she is eager to participate in the G20 meeting this September which Beijing will host. Foreign Minister Wang said China is looking forward to May's visit and hopes to have an engaging dialogue about matters crucial to both nations.

Mutual Benefits of a British-Sino Trade Partnership

The letter was delivered by UK Envoy to Asia and the Pacific, Alok Sharma on his first official visit to Beijing last Monday. 

Before traveling to Beijing Bloomberg reported that Sharma believed that the partnership of Britain and China is beneficial to British and Chinese citizens. Sharma was quoted saying that "The U.K.'s relationship with China is strong, growing and delivering benefits for both our countries. Britain is open for business and an attractive destination for international investors, including from China."

Excellent Meeting

According to a Bloomberg report Minister Wang and Envoy Sharma had an excellent meeting. Sharma sent the UK's warmest greetings and expressed that London considers Beijing a crucial global strategic partner.

Wang emphasized in the meeting that China is determined to have an active and transparent partnership with the U.K. He said that "Beijing is willing to work together with the U.K.'s new government to deepen pragmatic cooperation and push ahead the Sino-U.K. ties towards the direction of 'a global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st Century."

Delay of Nuclear Power Plant

Theresa May's decision to reaffirm British-Sino ties is seen by many as a way of quelling naysayers who believed that the ousting of David Cameron from Downing Street would also lead to a collapse of trade partnerships between the UK and China.

A great controversy arose when Prime Minister May delayed the approval of joint a British and Chinese nuclear power plant construction project which was supposed to be the UK's first nuclear power plant in three decades. May's postponement of the $23 billion dollar nuclear power plant stunned the Chinese who were hoping that construction would go on smoothly despite Cameron's ouster.

Need for Sustainable Energy

Despite choosing to delay the construction of the nuclear power plant, she promised to give her final decision in Autumn this year. May earlier announced that securing a reliable and affordable energy supply for British citizens is a priority of her government.

Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the U.K., expressed strong hopes that the bilateral relationship of China and the UK would remain strong and the construction of the power plant will further help cement that relationship.