On September 2, 2002, Premier Zhu met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the sidelines of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.

Zhu said that the year 2002 is an important year for Sino-British relations, because it is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the ambassadorial level of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the fifth anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China's sovereignty. Zhu recalled that in the past 30 years, Sino-British ties have overcome many difficulties and challenges and been growing continuously. He said the smooth settlement of the Hong Kong issue has in particular advanced bilateral relations into a new and all-around dimension. Zhu mentioned the frequent exchanges of high-level visits, steady growth of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, saying that the trade between the two countries surpassed 10 billion US dollars last year, and rose rapidly in the first half of this year. The Chinese side is satisfied with the expansion of bilateral trade and enhanced exchanges in various fields including culture, science, education and finance.

Zhu said China values the relationship with Britain. As the current international situation is complicated and unpredictable, China and Britain, both of which are permanent members of UN Security Council, should make more exchanges of views on major international issues. He added that China is ready to work together with Britain to push the all-around partnership to a new high.

Blair said he is happy to see a comprehensive and smooth growth of the relations between China and Britain. He said that China has made spectacular achievements in recent years, during which the situation in China is stable and its economy is growing rapidly, adding that Britain pays much attention to the development of bilateral relations with China and expects to enhance consultations and cooperation on global issues with China.

The two sides also exchanged opinions on issues of WSSD and the situation in the Middle East.