'Xi's Britain visit to strengthen bilateral ties'

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Britain will strengthen China-UK bilateral ties and take comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, an official said on Tuesday.

Guo Jinlong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) central committee, made the remarks during a five-day official visit to Britain, Xinhua news agency reported.

Guo said China and Britain have garnered fruitful results from their recent high-level exchanges in areas of economy, trade, finance and culture, and the two nations have maintained good dialogues and coordination in international affairs.

China is willing to work with the British side to further boost political trust and pragmatic cooperation, and promote the healthy development of China-UK relations to benefit the two peoples, he added.

Guo, secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and former Beijing mayor, said Beijing is also willing to enhance practical cooperation with the British side in relevant fields.

The British side, on their part, said Britain values its relations with China and the development of bilateral ties has gained momentum in recent years.

President Xi is scheduled to pay a state visit to Britain in October this year, according to Chinese foreign ministry.