Interview: Xi's UK visit promotes "shared interests": former EU adviser

Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain was a "success" and highlighted the two countries' "shared interests," a former senior adviser to the European Commission has said.

The visit aimed to bring bilateral relations "to the next level," Etienne Reuter told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.

"There is no doubt that this visit is a success," said Reuter, who was the European Commission's first head of delegation to Hong Kong and Macao.

In his view, the Chinese president's visit has led to many positive results, including two major achievements.

First, Reuter said, it addressed the role of London as a financial center in developing the international use of the Chinese currency RMB.

During his visit, Xi noted that London would play a vital role as a hub after Hong Kong for the use of RMB in the financial markets, and simultaneously become an ideal entry point for Chinese investors to Britain and the European Union (EU).

The second achievement was the signing of agreements such as that regarding China's commitment to participating in the construction of nuclear power plants, said Reuter, who is now a lawyer and specialist in Asian and European affairs.

He said that given the needs of Britain and Europe as a whole to renew its infrastructure, the agreement appears positive, especially when the reduction of carbon emissions is taken into account.

Also worth noting are the results achieved during Xi's visit in intensifying exchanges between the two countries in the areas of economy, education, culture and sport, he said.

The "community of shared interests," a key concept mentioned by the Chinese president during his visit, impressed Reuter a lot.

He said the foreign policy implemented by China essentially shows its desire to play an important political and economic role on the world stage with an objective to promote peace, stability and prosperity.

China-Britain cooperation should be part of the cooperation between the Asian giant and Europe as a whole, he said, adding that the EU wants to deepen and strengthen cooperation with China not only in the international fight against global warming, but also in infrastructure to revive and enliven their economies.

Europe may wish to explore opportunities for synergies between the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, initiated by China, and the European Investment Bank, Reuter said.

He said Europe also hopes for China's support for the continent's ambitious 315-billion-euro investment plan (352 billion U.S. dollars), or the Juncker Plan.

Similarly, European investors will want to participate in projects that take shape in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China aiming to revive the ancient trade routes that span Asia, Africa and Europe, he said. Endi