Chinese President Hu Jintao said in Beijing Monday evening that China's new leadership attaches great importance to Sino-British ties and will work with the British side to ensure that the overall bilateral partnership achieves even greater progress.

Hu made the remark during his meeting with visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair who arrived in Beijing on Sunday evening on a three-day official visit to China.

Hu said Sino-British ties have witnessed new developments in recent years with frequent contacts between leaders of the two countries and strengthened bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Bilateral trade volume has also been growing, and the United Kingdom (UK) has taken the lead among European Union countries in investing in China, Hu said.

He said the consultation and dialogue mechanism established between the two countries and the China-UK Forum are functioning well, adding that China and the UK have maintained close communication and consultation on international issues.

Hu said China and Britain are influential countries and permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the further consolidation of the overall bilateral partnership is consistent with the interests of the two peoples and conducive to world peace, stability and development.

The two countries should enhance mutual, political trust, further reciprocal cooperation, expand the fields of common interests and ensure the proper handling of bilateral differences and concerns.

Hu also briefed Blair on the Chinese government's consistent principles and position on Hong Kong.

Blair said he was delighted to see the strong development momentum of bilateral ties in recent years, underlining that the smooth handover of Hong Kong six years ago had opened a new chapter for bilateral relations.

He went on to say that China's economy is growing rapidly and the country enjoys increasing influence in international affairs.

He said Britain and China share similar views on many international issues and have wide-ranging common interests in promoting world peace and development.

All these represent significant opportunities for the development of the two countries, Blair noted, pledging that Britain is willing to join hands with China to continuously advance bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2003)