Xi Jinping has called for a deepening of “political mutual trust” with the UK amid a simmering row over Chinese involvement in Britain’s nuclear sector.
In a 30-minute bilateral meeting on Monday afternoon, China’s president met with the British prime minister and, according to Chinese state media, told May that London and Beijing needed to “communicate and cooperate in various fields to achieve more stable and better development of their ties”.
According to an account published by Xinhua, China’s official news agency, May “committed to actively deepening comprehensive strategic partnership and enhancing mutual understanding and trust”.
Xinhua’s account of the meeting made no mention of the controversial £18bn ($23.5bn) Hinkley Point C project, which has threatened to derail the so-called “golden era” of UK-China ties since May delayed a final decision on its approval after taking office in July.
According to the state-run news agency, Xi used the meeting, on the sidelines of the G20 summit, to inform May that China was willing to work with Britain to lift the partnership to “a higher level”.
But the Chinese president also told the prime minister the two countries should “continue to promote pragmatic cooperation” in areas including energy, investment and infrastructure and “expand cooperation” in areas such as high technology and clean energy.
During her visit to Hangzhou for the G20, May told reporters the “golden era” of UK-China relations – sealed by David Cameron and Xi during the Chinese leader’s state visit to Britain last year – was still alive.
But the term was notably absent from comments made shortly before May’s meeting with Xi by a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry that China “always values its relationship with the UK”. Hua Chunying said ties between London and Beijing had been “developing with a sound momentum in recent years”. “We hope that the UK will continue to uphold a positive and open policy towards China.”
A UK source described a “warm” meeting between May and Xi, and said the Communist party chief had not protested about the prime minister’s decision to review Chinese investment in the UK’s nuclear sector.
UK sources said there was only an oblique reference to Hinkley Point C, the Chinese-backed nuclear project under review, and that Xi had told May he was willing to be patient about the government’s decisions in major projects.
May’s decision to delay the project’s approval has been widely attributed to security concerns over Chinese involvement in sensitive sectors such as nuclear power.
In 2015 Nick Timothy, May’s influential joint chief of staff, attacked the “golden” relationship with China.
In an article last year for Conservative Home website, Timothy questioned the wisdom of giving Beijing access to such sectors, arguing there was no justification for giving “a hostile state easy access to the country’s critical national infrastructure”.