Cameron courts India and China at G8 in Toronto
David Cameron and Manmohan Singh at the G8 summit
Sunday, 27, Jun 2010 11:50
By Richard James.
David Cameron held separate talks with the heads of state of China and India at the G8 summit in Toronto this weekend as he continues the coalition government's attempts to rebalance Britain's diplomatic stance towards Asia.
The prime minister met with Chinese president Hu Jintao and Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, Downing Street confirmed.
"[Mr Cameron] set out his deep attachment to the UK-India relationship and his longstanding desire to develop a 'special partnership' between the two countries," a spokesperson declared.
"The leaders discussed deepening ties in a range of areas, with a focus on promoting UK-India trade, business-business contacts, and education exchanges."
Mr Cameron spoke with Mr Hu for 30 minutes on Saturday, with trade the most prominent topic of discussion.
"The leaders agreed on the vital importance of current efforts to secure the global economic recovery including through fiscal consolidation," Downing Street said.
"There was a meeting of minds on global trade: the prime minister and president reaffirmed their desire to conclude the Doha trade round and boost UK-China bilateral trade."
Mr Hu invited Mr Cameron to visit China before the Seoul G20 summit, which takes place this November.