British Prime Minister Theresa May has told China’s leader that Britain wants to strengthen trade and business ties, an attempt to reassure the world’s second largest economy after London delayed a US $24 billion nuclear project.
May’s surprise decision to review the building of Britain’s first nuclear plant in decades upset China, which questioned whether Chinese money was still welcome in Britain just weeks after the June 23 Brexit vote to leave the EU.
After Beijing’s expression of frustration, May wrote to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) saying Britain attached great importance to Sino-British cooperation.
Britain “looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China on trade and business and on global issues”, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, citing the letter.
A source in May’s office confirmed the contents of the letter, which was hand-delivered by British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Alok Sharma.
“This is part of what you’d expect the prime minister to do in terms of our relations with the wider world. It’s all part of Britain remaining an outward-looking country as we head toward Brexit,” the source said.
Cast as the jewel illustrating a “Golden Era” of relations between the two powers, the financing deal for the Hinkley Point nuclear project in southwestern England was signed in Downing Street during a state visit to Britain by Xi last year.
May’s predecessor, David Cameron, said the Hinkley Point project was a sign of Britain’s openness to foreign investment, but May is concerned about the security implications of the planned Chinese investment, according to a former colleague.
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