BEIJING, Oct. 18 -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang met with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom David Lammy here on Friday.

Noting that China and the UK are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major economies in the world with deeply intertwined interests, Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the two countries' leaders had reached important consensus on enhancing exchanges and cooperation in various fields and pointed out the direction for the development of bilateral relations.

China is ready to work with the UK to further develop a more stable and mutually beneficial bilateral relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective and promote the upgrading of pragmatic cooperation in various fields, thus better benefiting the two countries and the two peoples and injecting more momentum into world peace and prosperity, said Ding.

Lammy said the new UK government is willing to work with China to strengthen constructive dialogue, engage in candid communication, deepen cooperation in various fields, work for a consistent bilateral relationship featuring mutual respect, and jointly respond to global challenges.