UPDATE 3Brown seeks to take China relationship to new level
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By Adrian Croft
BEIJING, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown
told China on Friday he wanted Britain to be the number one
choice for Chinese trade and investment as he sought to take
the relationship to a “higher level”.
Brown also said he would bring up human rights and
democracy in his talks with leaders of the world’s
fastest-growing major economy on his short trip to Beijing
before heading off to Shanghai on Saturday and India on Sunday.
“Britain will welcome substantial new investment from China
in our country in the years to come,” Brown told a news
conference alongside Premier Wen Jiabao.
“We want Britain to be the number one destination of choice
for Chinese business as it invests in the rest of the world.”
The two leaders agreed to expand trade to a value of $60
billion by 2010, compared to about $40 billion last year, as
they watched the signing of agreements on education
cooperation, climate change, sustainable cities and several
involving BP and clean energy development.
“I believe by 2010 we will see 100 new Chinese companies
investing in the UK, we will see 100 partnerships between our
universities and Chinese universities and we will double the
number of firms listed on the London Stock Exchange and
thousands of jobs will be created,” Brown said, adding that he
welcomed investment from Beijing’s huge sovereign wealth fund.
“We are now able to sell to China not just financial and
business services and environmental technologies, but also a
whole range of British brands that are now becoming very
popular among the rising number of Chinese consumers. Continued…
