1st LD: China, Britain issue declaration to seal "global" partnership

China and Britain issued Thursday a joint declaration covering a wide range of priorities in building a "global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st Century."

The new partnership was announced by visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday at a news conference after his talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Thursday's declaration specified the bilateral relations with pledges of joint efforts in fields ranging from RMB internationalization and China-EU free trade to cyber security and climate change.

Xi's visit to Britain, the first one by a Chinese president in a decade, was hailed to have opened a "golden era" in China-Britain relations featuring enduring, inclusive and win-win cooperation.

"The two sides recognize the global significance and strategic importance of stronger China-UK relations in promoting global peace, stability and prosperity," the declaration said.

Britain reassured its supports to the inclusion of China's currency RMB into the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) SDR (special drawing rights) basket.

Both sides support the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange to carry out a feasibility study on a stock connect, according to the declaration.

The two countries call for the swift launch of joint feasibility study for a China-EU Free Trade Agreement.

They would also establish a high-level security dialogue, with both sides agreeing not to conduct or support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets or confidential business information, the declaration said. Endi