Chinese leader welcomes ‘diamond era’ as trade relations with UK soar

One of China’s most senior leaders has said his country’s relationship with Britain is entering a “diamond era”.

Premier Li Keqiang was speaking as he met Prime Minister Theresa May for talks at the Asia-europe Meeting (ASEM) in Brussels.

Building commercial ties with China was one of the top foreign policy priorities of Mrs May’s predecessor David Cameron and former chancellor George Osborne, who declared a “golden era” of warm relations with the far eastern giant at the start of the decade.

Mr Li, who holds second place in the Beijing hierarchy beneath president Xi Jinping, took the slogan a step further as he told Mrs May: “Your visit to China in January was a big success. We enjoy this golden era and usher in a diamond era.”

Mrs May used the opportunity of the ASEM summit to press her Global Britain agenda for closer trade links with the fast-growing economies of Asia following Brexit.

She told Mr Li: “I am very pleased to have this opportunity to speak with you and to talk about the many interests we have and how we can build further on the golden era of Uk-china relations.

“I was very pleased to visit China earlier this year and that for me was important in strengthening our global strategic partnership and I look forward to discussing with you how we can build on that further.”

China is the UK’S sixth-biggest export market, spending £22.3 billion on British goods and services last year. Chinese imports were worth £45.2bn the same year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

UK exports of goods and services to China increased by 114 per cent between 2010 and 2017, making the country Britain’s seventh fastest growing overseas market.

During the two-day summit, Mrs May has also held talks with Thai PM Prayut Chanocha and Singapore leader Lee Hsien Loong