The United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer will pay an official visit to China from Wednesday to Saturday, and he will go to Shanghai in addition to Beijing during his stay, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Starmer's visit marks the first trip by a British prime minister to China in eight years, the ministry's spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters.

Amid the current complex and volatile international situation, maintaining communication and strengthening cooperation between China and the UK — both permanent members of the UN Security Council — "serves the common interests of their peoples and contributes to promoting world peace, stability, and development", he said.

"China is willing to take this visit as an opportunity to enhance political mutual trust and deepen practical cooperation with the UK, jointly opening a new chapter of healthy and stable development in China-UK relations, and work together to make due efforts and contributions to world peace, security, and stability," Guo added.

zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn