Gordon Brown Holds Talks With Chinese Premier

Gordon Brown today pledged to double Britain's exports to China over the next 18 months as he met the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, at Downing Street.

The prime minister, who was holding talks with Wen to try to establish a common position for dealing with the world economic crisis, said he was also keen to promote trade between the two countries.

Brown announced a new two-year program to help British companies market their products in China and also to make our patent system more effective.

The prime minister said the move would open up "considerable business opportunities" that would improve prosperity for both countries.

Chinese officials say Wen's visit is intended to prepare for April's G20 summit of leading and emerging economies in London, and to show support for Britain's stance opposing protectionism but backing global financial reform as a response to the crisis. It is not clear whether Wen will agree to Brown's request for China to finance International Monetary Fund emergency loans for struggling economies.

Britain sees the visit as an opportunity to establish Britain as China's closest partner in Europe, particularly since Beijing's relationship with France has cooled considerably over the past year. Wen's European itinerary has been a pointed snub to Paris. The Chinese premier went to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, as well as Spain, Germany and the EU headquarters in Brussels, before spending three days in Britain.

He held preliminary discussions with Brown on Saturday, had talks with David Cameron, and celebrated the Chinese new year with the London Chinese community yesterday. After meeting the prime minister and holding a joint press conference, Wen will deliver a speech at Cambridge University this afternoon.

Human rights groups have warned the British government against trying to deepen its bilateral relationship by ignoring human rights concerns and the plight of Tibet. Yesterday, five people were arrested during a pro-Tibet demonstration outside the Chinese embassy, as Wen made a visit.

A strategy document for UK-Chinese relations was published last month, with an emphasis on solidifying business ties with the emerging economic superpower. The document listed a series of human rights improvements as goals for British diplomacy over the next few years.

"We are able to raise issues where there are differences," Bill Rammell, the Foreign Office minister with responsibility for east Asia, said. "I've been regularly raising issues like Tibet, human rights, the need for defence lawyers. I certainly witnessed a greater receptiveness and willingness to engage on these issues because of the strength of the relationship."

Despite the list of human rights issues in the strategy document, it was welcomed in Beijing as a sign of the importance Britain attaches to the relationship.

"This document was very well received. The Chinese government highly appreciated it," a Chinese official said.