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British Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s visit to China last week could mark a “new starting point” for the two countries despite their deep-rooted disagreements in some areas, Chinese observers have said.
Lammy, the first cabinet minister to visit the country since the Labour Party’s election victory in July, finished his two-day tour on Saturday with a trip to Shanghai where he met the city’s mayor Gong Zheng.
More than two-thirds of British companies in China have their headquarters in Shanghai and the city looks forward to more “high-quality products, advanced technologies and special services” from the UK, Gong told his visitor.
“We welcome British companies … to continue to expand their investment in Shanghai in fields such as the green economy, the digital economy, advanced manufacturing, financial services and healthcare,” he said.
Lammy said the UK and Shanghai should cooperate in areas such as climate, finance, education, culture and sports.