Showing sincere intent

During his visit to the UK, Premier Li Keqiang once again conveyed to the world China's commitment to peaceful cooperation

Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the United Kingdom from June 16 to 19, his first as premier, yielded fruitful results, with the two sides signing deals on investment, trade and business collaborations worth $30 billion. There is no doubt that Li's visit will further upgrade relations between the two countries.

On the whole, the China-UK relationship has maintained positive and stable development, especially after the smooth transition and transfer of government in Hong Kong in 1997. Without any problem left over by history between them, their bilateral relationship entered a new stage of comprehensive development. In 2004, China and the UK announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership and during the following decade, bilateral relations witnessed sustained and deepening development in various fields.

But there have also been difficult times. Bilateral relations soured for more than a year when British Prime Minister David Cameron insisted on meeting the Dalai Lama in May 2012 despite Beijing's objections. The bilateral relationship only began to thaw and return to the right track when Cameron visited China in late 2013 and distanced himself from the Dalai Lama.

Li's visit, which was timed for the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, will further consolidate and deepen the bilateral relationship.

The visit has also further promoted the institutionalization of the development of China-UK relations. Li attended the China-UK Annual Prime Minister's Meeting during his visit, a regular platform for the heads of the two governments to visit each other on a regular basis, which is beneficial for strengthening consultation and coordination in international and regional affairs.

The mechanism is the first regular meeting with the head of government that the UK holds with a non-European Union or NATO member, and shows the UK's emphasis on developing good relations with China. In addition, China and the UK have also established a deputy prime minister strategic dialogue, an economic and financial dialogue and a high-level people-to-people dialogue, covering the fields of politics, economy and culture, which together constitute the institutional basis of China-UK relations.

Premier Li's visit has not only further broadened the fields for bilateral cooperation, it has also made cooperation between China and the UK more substantive and strategic. Among the agreements signed between governments and businesses, cooperation in the sectors of energy, infrastructure investment and finance have been highlighted. Energy supply not only concerns a country's economic development, it is vital to national security. Strengthened cooperation in the areas of natural gas and civilian nuclear energy fully shows enhanced bilateral mutual trust in the pursuit of a win-win situation.