UK leader in China to discuss trade, climate change
18 January 2008
Climate change and boosting two-way trade were at the top of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's agenda as he arrived in Beijing on Friday, AFP reported. Brown is accompanied on his maiden visit as UK leader by 25 leading figures from the banking, financial services, pharmaceuticals, insurance, high-tech and energy sectors. Also present are Virgin boss Richard Branson and Kelly Holmes, an athlete who won two gold medals at the Athens Olympics. Brown had meetings with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao scheduled for Friday. Britain is China's largest EU investor, with bilateral trade reaching around US$40 billion last year. Officials are set to agree on a target of US$60 billion by 2010. Brown is keen to attract more Chinese companies and investment - including sovereign wealth funds - to the UK. But he will also touch on issues such as the environment, the humanitarian situation in Darfur and conditions in Myanmar and Iran.
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