Full text: China-UK Joint Declaration on Building a Global Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century

China's President Xi Jinping and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron attend a joint press conference in 10 Downing Street, in central London, Britain, Oct 21, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

China and the UK both face the tasks of reform, growth and innovation and are uniquely matched to cooperate on economic development. They stand ready to learn from each other's successful experience and find new models of cooperation to support the growth of sustainable economies underpinned by world class science and innovation. The two sides agree to raise the level of cooperation in innovation and establish a China-UK Innovation Cooperation Partnership.

The two sides stress the importance of bilateral investment in promoting growth and jobs, and will continue to expand two-way trade in goods and services. They commit to creating a fair, transparent, positive and business-friendly policy environment for two-way investment and addressing business concerns regarding market access and regulations. They will work together to protect intellectual property of Chinese and British companies in both countries.

Both sides have a strong interest in cooperating on each other's major initiatives, namely China's "Belt and Road" initiative and the UK's National Infrastructure Plan and the Northern Powerhouse. They will further discuss a China-UK infrastructure alliance under existing mechanisms and explore cooperation in light of the China-EU Joint Investment Fund and Connectivity Platform. This includes supporting cooperation between China and the European Investment Bank.

The two sides are ready to enhance global industrial cooperation and are open to exploring cooperation involving third parties. Both sides support their businesses to combine China's production capacity and equipment manufacturing with UK expertise.

Both sides attach importance to their cooperation on energy and transport in each other's countries. The UK welcomes the progressive participation of Chinese companies in its civil nuclear energy projects, and both sides welcome the commercial agreement on Hinkley Point C. Both sides encourage their firms to deepen cooperation and participation in high speed rail projects.

Both sides agree that financial cooperation has made important progress on a reciprocal basis. They will deepen their unparalleled long-term partnership on financial services, as a leading area in the bilateral relationship. Both sides welcome London's active participation in the internationalization of the RMB and will continue to grow London's RMB offshore market. The UK welcomes China's issuance of a sovereign RMB bond in London, the first of its kind outside China. Both sides support the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange to carry out a feasibility study on a stock connect.

Both sides agree that people-people exchanges are a vibrant and promising area of bilateral cooperation, which strengthen creativity and innovation on both sides and promote the steady and sound growth of bilateral relations. Both sides commit to boost cultural and educational links and to enhance sport and media exchanges.

China and the UK will work together to learn from each other on healthcare, urbanisation, science and technology, to improve the welfare of their peoples. The two sides will strengthen exchanges in medical and healthcare policies and explore joint research and cooperation to tackle the global health challenges including antimicrobial resistance.

Both sides support increased visitor flows between China and the UK particularly between young people, and agree to work together to increase the opportunities for study and tourism. The two sides have agreed to launch new competitively priced multiple year, multi-entry visit visas.

China and the UK agree to establish a high-level security dialogue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation on security issues such as non-proliferation, organised crime, cyber crime and illegal immigration. China and the UK agree not to conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets, or confidential business information with the intent of providing competitive advantage. The two sides will enhance mutual respect and understanding, and continue exchanges on human rights and rule of law.