China-UK ties rely on mutual respect and trust

Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has reiterated mutual respect and trust in China-UK relations, slamming a certain British politician's recent hyping up of the "China threat".

In a signed article entitled "Gunboat diplomacy can only harm Britain's relationship with China" published in The Guardian on Tuesday, Liu compared the China-UK relationship to a symphony, saying its success would depend on close coordination between the two countries and a firm resistance to interruptions and noises.

"In this symphony, China and the UK rely on mutual respect and trust to keep us in tune, and keep out the noise of enmity and confrontation," he wrote.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of a China-UK diplomatic relationship at the level of chargé d'affaires.

In the past 65 years, Liu said, when there was mutual respect and equality, the bilateral relationship leapt forward.

"Otherwise, the relationship has had to battle against strong headwinds, or even back-pedal. In an age when hot and cold wars should be long gone, resurrecting the cold war and gunboat diplomacy from the grave, as this politician did, was anachronistic and risks disrupting the progress of China-UK relations," he noted.

Liu said the symphony of China-UK relations should also play a rising crescendo of mutual learning and cooperation, and reject the chaotic disruption of rigidity and narrow-mindedness.

"China and the UK have the strategic vision, political wisdom and creative spirit to seize opportunities, resist disruptions and create a China-UK golden era: a symphony both beautiful and harmonious," he added.