Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo met in Beijing Monday with William Geoffery Eheman, director general of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Dai said relations between China and Britain had developed smoothly in recent years, and the establishment of a consultation mechanism on strategic security between the two nations was conducive to exchanges and cooperation in security and arms control and would promote bilateral relations.

China's EU (European Union) Policy Paper earlier this month had shown China's willingness to strengthen all-round cooperation with the EU, he said, hoping Britain would continue to contribute to the development of relations between China and the EU.

Eheman, here to attend the first round of Sino-British consultations on strategic security, said Britain attached importance to relations with China and hoped to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China in international affairs through the consultation mechanism.

Eheman and Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui held strategic security consultations on Monday. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in Iraq, the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the nuclear issue of Iran, non-proliferation and defense against missiles.

They agreed the consultations were fruitful and deepened mutual understanding on a series of major issues concerning international security.

(Xinhua News Agency October 21, 2003)