BANGKOK — State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on July 31 that China and Britain should enhance political mutual trust and promote pragmatic cooperation so as to push for the healthy and stable development of bilateral ties.

Wang made the remarks when meeting with British First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on the sidelines of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers' meeting and other related meetings in Bangkok, Thailand.

Wang said the China-Britain relationship is at a crucial stage. He said both countries are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council as well as big countries with global influence, and advancing the "golden era" of bilateral ties serves the common interest of both sides.

Wang noted the hard-earned momentum of improvement and development of China-Britain ties, urging the British side to properly handle relative sensitive issues.

China and Britain should make joint efforts to enhance political mutual trust and advance pragmatic cooperation so as to promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, said the Chinese official.

China also hopes that Britain would treat Chinese enterprises with fairness, equity and without discrimination, Wang added.

For his part, Raab said Britain and China face common opportunities and challenges, and the two countries need to strengthen strategic cooperation and continuously promote the bilateral relations to new levels.

Raab said that Britain is willing to carry out close high-level exchanges with China, tap into cooperation potentials and strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to jointly address global challenges.

Both sides also exchanged views on the Iran nuclear issue, agreeing to continue safeguarding and implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Both agreed that all sides should maintain calm and restrained to achieve a soft landing of the deadlock through dialogue and communication.