|
BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- President Xi's state visit to Britain is being widely discussed. Commentators have expressed confidence in the development of the China-Britain relationship, and think that boosting relations will also send a positive signal to the rest of the world.
In advance of his trip to the UK, Xi Jinping gave a written interview to Reuters news agency. He answered questions on ties with the UK and the EU, and on financial cooperation and climate change.
Guy Faulconbridge, the head of the Reuters UK Bureau, says he was impressed by what he read.
"I thought the answers were actually very clear and interesting. They were not bureaucratic. They were quite clear and to-the-point. I also thought it was very interesting the way in which he describes the Chinese economy, that he admitted there were problems, and that the Chinese authorities and Chinese government were trying to deal with those problems," he said.
The interview intrigued investment consultant James Stewart.
"The image I have is an individual who is more than capable of developing and embracing China's position as the second and the largest economy in the world. This is a huge responsibility," James Stewart said.
Former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr says it's China's robust economic development that makes the relationship with China important.
"I think the maturity of the Chinese economy is the key of this "golden era". The economic figures confirm that China is making a sucessful transition, from economy based on exports and manufaturing to an economy based on consumption and services," Bob Carr said.
The UK is an important member state in the European Union. President Xi has stressed that a good China-Britain relationship bodes well for good China-Europe ties.
And Iceland's President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson says there is no European country that does not want to have a constructive relationship with China.
He says China’s One Belt One Road initiative is a“fascinating" idea of connecting China with the world.
"I find this framework, this thinking absolutely fascinating. This new policy of this new way of connecting China with other parts of the world reflect the fact that China doesn't think in years, or in decades. China thinks in centuries. And I think this policy is a signal to the rest of us that the communication system, the infrastructure that links states and nations and economies together is in a process of fundamental change," Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said.
The initiative could provide broader opportunities for cooperation between China and Britain, as well as other EU countries in the coming years.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
