Chinese President Xi Jinping and Queen Elizabeth II have hailed the sound relations between their countries.[Special coverage]
The president and the queen respectively wrote for a China report of the British FIRST magazine on the occasion of Xi's state visit to Britain.
Xi said the Chinese and the British are both great peoples. "We have long histories and outstanding cultures, and we share a determined pursuit of new developments and progress in accordance with the times."
Despite the geographical distance between China and Britain, "our peoples feel close as each is drawn to the other's literature and arts, and science and technology," he said.
Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations in 2004, substantial progress has been made in bilateral relations, with remarkable achievements in all areas of cooperation, including economy and trade, education, science and technology, culture, climate change, and energy, Xi said.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations, Xi said. "Seventy years ago, our two countries joined in the building of the post-war international order based on the UN Charter, and we have since worked together to maintain that order."
"It is my hope that the Chinese and British peoples will carry on our joint efforts in defense of the fruits of the victory in the World Anti-fascist War, that we will uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and that we will promote the building of a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation," Xi said.
Looking to the future, Xi said, China wishes to join hands with Britain "as we press forward in a spirit of mutual respect and equality and as we pool our efforts in the drive for mutually beneficial results."
For her part, the queen said: "I look forward to welcoming His Excellency Xi Jinping and to the opportunity which this visit gives us to strengthen the ties that already exist between our two countries."
British Prime Minister David Cameron said in his message in the same special report that Xi's visit will help pave the way to a new golden era for Britain-China relations "as we build a global partnership fit to tackle the challenges of the 21st century."
He expressed the hope that this visit will mark the beginning of an even stronger partnership of constructive engagement between the two countries.
FIRST, founded in 1984, publishes special issues for both the British prime minister's foreign visits and leaders of major countries' visits to Britain.
