Brown economy
- 00:02:21
- ITN
Brown economy
Gordon Brown and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao have met to discuss ways tackling the economic downturn and boost trade. Following the Downing Street talks, Mr Wen then went on to meet business leaders. Mr Brown said Britain's recovery from recession can be helped by a doubling in exports to China over the next two years. The massive £400 billion fiscal stimulus announced by the Beijing authorities in November will create huge opportunities for British exports to China, particularly in the low-carbon technologies of the future, Mr Brown said. He thanked Mr Wen for his support in the battle against protectionism and for reform of global financial institutions, and broke into Mandarin to wish him a happy Chinese New Year by saying: "Gong Xi Fa Chai". Speaking alongside Mr Wen at a business conference in London, Mr Brown said his target was to increase British exports to China from $5 billion (£3.5bn) in 2008 to $10 billion (£7bn) in 2010. Mr Brown said: "I believe that there is much scope for trade and investment to expand between our two countries even in these most difficult of times for the global economy. "The strength of the relationship between China and Britain will be a pivotal force in helping us through the downturn and a powerful driving force behind our future growth and prosperity. "We know from previous downturns that a retreat to narrow, short-term protectionist policies would only serve to deepen the global recession and we must not and will not allow that to happen again." The first two days of Mr Wen's visit were marred by noisy protests over human rights abuses in China and Tibet. Five men were arrested for public order offences outside the Chinese Embassy near London's Regent Park on Sunday. Supporters also turned out to greet him as he toured Chinatown in the capital and attended a dinner at the Natural History Museum. Mr Wen met David Cameron for 45 minutes on Sunday, discussing topics including the economic crisis and combating climate change. The Tory leader also raised human rights issues and stressed the need for "greater participation" in China's political process. Along with his three-day trip to the UK, Mr Wen is visiting Germany, Spain, and Brussels.
ITN | February 2, 2009
