A Downing Street spokesperson said:
“The Prime Minister called President Xi of China earlier today.
“They agreed the Prime Minister’s visit to China in January had
been a great success, reinvigorating our commitment to a “Golden
Era” of UK-China relations and a deeper strategic
partnership.
“They discussed the appalling chemical weapons attack in Douma.
The Prime Minister explained our strikes had been proportionate,
legal and responsible, and aimed at alleviating humanitarian
suffering by degrading the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons
capability and deterring their willingness to use them in the
future.
“The Prime Minister set out that Russia’s blocking of diplomatic
action underlined the importance of the international community
working together to re-establish an independent mechanism that
attributes responsibility to the perpetrators of attacks such as
the one in Douma.
“The Prime Minister noted that the use of a nerve agent against
Yulia and Sergei Skripal in Salisbury was a grave attack on the
sovereign territory of the UK, and the first use of nerve agents
on European soil since the Second World War. They agreed that the
use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, for any purposes was
unacceptable.
“The Prime Minister reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to free and
fair trade, open markets and upholding
and strengthening the multilateral global trading
regime.
“The leaders welcomed progress on deepening the UK-China trade
relationship. They agreed that the UK and China would continue to
work together to identify how best we can cooperate on the Belt
and Road initiative across the region and ensure it meets
international standards.
“The Prime Minister also noted the need to recognise and respect
the international law of the sea, in the context of adherence to
the wider rules-based international system.”
