China, Britain raise curtain of 'golden time' in ties with $60b deals

Noting that British perceptions of China have been improving over the past few years, he said for the most part, Britain has recognized that China is becoming more cooperative.

China and Britain are both major countries with significant influence. Now their partnership is standing on a new starting point, Xi has said, calling for both sides to seize opportunities to promote their ties.

Energy cooperation breakthrough

Xi said that during his visit to Britain, a slew of inter-governmental and business cooperation documents were signed, including the one on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.

The Hinkley Point C nuclear power station is the product of tripartite cooperation among China, Britain and France.

According to Cameron, the plant would provide reliable, affordable energy to nearly 6 million homes and create more than 25,000 jobs in Britain.

He Yu, chairman of China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN), told Xinhua that the deal would promote the exportation of Chinese nuclear facilities to high-end markets in Europe and provide opportunities for Chinese companies to get fully involved in the development of Britain's nuclear power industry.

This is a triple-win for the existing nuclear energy partnership between China, France and Britain, he said.

He attributed the company's participation in the Hinkley Point project to increasingly close economic and trade ties between China and Britain.

"As political mutual trust and economic partnership develop, I believe more breakthroughs will be seen in the cooperation in the nuclear power industry of the two countries," he said.

David Elmes with Britain's Warwick Business School said that the project is supposed to prompt a new wave of Chinese investment in British energy infrastructure, noting that it is the first project in the British government's plans for a series of new nuclear power stations.

Enhancing innovation cooperation

Cooperation in innovation industry is emerging as a new highlight in China-Britain cooperation, as China is boosting mass entrepreneurship and innovation while Britain has experience in this field.