British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has sent his "warmest wishes" to China in the run up to Chinese New Year in a message on the Labour Party website.

The British PM also hoped that the 2008 Beijing Olympics would be the best Games ever.

"The Year of the Rat will be a momentous one for China. Your country will host the Olympic games in August. I hope these Olympics will be the best ever, and I am proud that you will pass the Olympic torch to us as the Games close," he said.

Brown expressed his belief that the year 2008 will be an auspicious year for relations between Britain and China.

"It was clear to me on my recent visit that our economic strengths are complementary. We are both finding greater and greater opportunities in each other's economies," he said in the message.

Regarding the growing contacts between the youth of the two countries, with more Chinese students coming to Britain while more British students are going to experience China first hand, Brown said it is "vitally important that we understand each other's cultures if we are to collaborate effectively to meet global challenges."

The prime minister also gave his "wholehearted support" to the forthcoming "China Now" festival, which is the largest ever celebration of Chinese culture in Britain showcasing "the very best of modern China."

Brown welcomed China's support for the UN Millennium Development Goals to reduce global poverty, saying, "China's rapid growth in trade with developing countries - as well as its increased development assistance - can be a real force for good."

He also highly praised the Chinese communities in Britain, saying that they "make such a huge and valued contribution to our national life here."
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2008)