President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Theresa May meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Friday. [Photo/Xinhua]

China and the United Kingdom should enhance practical cooperation and connect their development strategies under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping said on Friday while meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

The countries should connect to each other's development strategies, linking such initiatives as China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), Made in China 2025, and Britain's modern industrial strategy the Northern Powerhouse, Xi said during the meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

The president highlighted the importance of China-Britain international affairs cooperation, saying the two countries should enhance coordination in global affairs, and strengthen communication in multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, the G20, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

And they should seek consensus while setting aside disagreements, Xi stressed, adding that both countries should make pragmatic efforts to push forward bilateral ties.

Mentioning his meeting with May in September during the G20 Hangzhou summit, Xi said the two countries have boosted political trust and cooperated in all areas during the past year.

Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of ambassador-level diplomatic relations between China

and Britain, Xi said China would like to make joint efforts with the UK on pushing forward bilateral ties for the benefit of people in both countries.

The nations should stick to the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment, Xi said, adding that China and the UK should also respect each other's core interests and major concerns.

May said Britain would like to increasingly cooperate with China in such areas as finance, under the Belt and Road Initiative framework.

The two countries have lots of common interests in many areas, she said, adding that Britain would like to enhance cooperation with China in areas including trade, investment and security.

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