UK courts India and China
By politics.co.uk staff
David Cameron used close historic ties with India and the lure of prosperous future trade with China as he advanced the coalition’s agenda to rebalance Britain’s diplomatic stance towards Asia.
Foreign secretary William Hague has long indicated his desire to draw closer to India and China, seen as the two emerging economic powerhouses of the region.
At separate meetings on the fringes of the G8 summit in Canada, the prime minister met with Chinese president Hu Jintao and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh.
“[Mr Cameron] set out his deep attachment to the UK-India relationship and his longstanding desire to develop a ‘special partnership’ between the two countries,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“The leaders discussed deepening ties in a range of areas, with a focus on promoting UK-India trade, business-business contacts, and education exchanges.”
India is seeking the negotiation of a trade agreement with India. The pair “saw eye to eye” on the need for progress in talks.
Trade was more prominent in Mr Cameron’s 30-minute meeting with Mr Hu, as an “upgrade” in the relationship based on “vibrant trade and economic relationship” was sought by No 10.
“The leaders agreed on the vital importance of current efforts to secure the global economic recovery including through fiscal consolidation,” Downing Street said.
“There was a meeting of minds on global trade: the prime minister and president reaffirmed their desire to conclude the Doha trade round and boost UK-China bilateral trade.”
Mr Hu invited Mr Cameron to visit China before the Seoul G20 summit, which takes place this November.
