Five protesters were arrested on Sunday ahead of talks between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London yesterday. The meeting marked the end of the Chinese leader’s tour to strengthen European ties.
Wen’s first trip to Britain since 2006 concluded a high-profile visit to Europe that included Germany, Spain, the EU headquarters in Brussels and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
One of his aims was to mend relations strained over the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader whom Beijing accuses of seeking independence from Chinese rule for the Himalayan region, as well as to boost trade ties.
Brown has stressed the importance of Britain’s relationship with China, although human rights activists have warned against getting too close.
PROTESTERS
Pro-Tibet protesters staged a noisy demonstration outside the Chinese embassy on Sunday as Wen visited, and five people were arrested as they leapt over security barriers and tried to run toward the building.
A rival pro-China demonstration of about 100 people faced them, while further pro-Tibet protests were planned yesterday.
Among the items being discussed by Brown and Wen yesterday was the G20 meeting in London.
The April summit will be dominated by the financial crisis and Brown has argued that Beijing’s increasing power — it is the third-biggest economy in the world — makes it a “vital” partner in restoring economic stability.
In a strategy document published last week, his government made Britain’s relationship with China a top priority, saying its rise was “one of the most significant developments of our time.”
Brown has argued for an international approach to the financial crisis, and in Davos, Wen also backed the British leader’s call for greater cooperation and against a retreat into protectionism in response to the downturn.
WESTERN PROBLEMS
But Wen was outspoken about the role of Western countries in the crisis, blaming “inappropriate macroeconomic policies of some economies” and “prolonged low savings and high consumption” in a lightly veiled attack on Washington.
He also said rich countries must “assume their responsibilities” and minimize the impact of the crisis on developing countries, saying it had “fully exposed the deficiencies in the existing international financial system.”
In an interview with the Financial Times yesterday, he played down hopes in London that China would help bolster global institutions to meet the challenge.
Brown has pressed China and the Gulf states to contribute more to global bodies like the IMF, but Wen signaled that China was still growing and needed its reserves for itself.
He used a similar argument following pressure on signing up to mandatory cuts in carbon emissions when a new global deal is agreed to follow the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
While China would continue to set itself targets to improve energy efficiency, it would be difficult for a developing country “to undertake quantified quotas to reduce our emissions,” the premier said.
He met the leader of the main opposition Conservatives, David Cameron, on Sunday, discussing topics including the economic crisis and combating climate change.
Cameron also raised human rights issues and stressed the need for “greater participation” in China’s political process, his office said.
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