Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, Sept. 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Sunday that China and Britain should properly handle disagreements, respect each other's core interests and major concerns.

Both China and Britain are major world economies, closely linked economically, Li said when meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) summit.

Both sides should strive to bring more benefits to each other and the world with stable and mutually beneficial China-Britain ties, Li said, adding that China is ready to work with Britain to adhere to mutual respect, treat each other as equals, view each other's development objectively, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and promote the steady and long-term development of China-Britain relations.

The two sides should adhere to open cooperation, safeguard and expand common interests, said the Chinese premier, noting that China and Britain are both advocates, practitioners and beneficiaries of free trade, and the two countries should jointly oppose mixing trade and economic cooperation with politics and security, promote the building of an open world economy, uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and ensure the stability and smooth flow of global industrial and supply chains.

The two sides should properly handle differences, uphold the spirit of inclusiveness and mutual learning, and respect each other's core interests and major concerns, Li said.

He said that China welcomes Britain to continue expanding practical cooperation with China and is willing to deepen cooperation with the country in such fields as trade, investment, green development, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and science and technology, so as to jointly support and promote global sustainable development.

For his part, Sunak said that Britain respects China's history and culture and attaches importance to China's significant role in the international system.

Britain, he said, is willing to conduct constructive and candid dialogues with China, strengthen practical cooperation in such areas as economy and trade, and science and technology, properly handle differences, jointly tackle climate change and other global challenges, and build stable and mutually beneficial Britain-China relations.