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Common plan to meet global challenges: Wen, Brown

LONDON: Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Monday said the global economic crisis had highlighted the “dangers of a totally unregulated market” and called for tougher supervision.

He was speaking after talks with his British counterpart Gordon Brown in Downing Street as he wound up his three-day visit to Britain.

At a joint press conference, the two leaders vowed to work together to overcome the crisis with Mr. Wen saying “concerted efforts” were needed to address the “common challenges” facing the world.

“Only by working together, only by making a concerted effort, can we address the common challenges we face,” he said. Mr. Wen, who also addressed business leaders at the Institute of Directors, stressed the importance of restoring investor confidence.

“Confidence is very important. With confidence business people are able to invest. With confidence, people are able to spend and with confidence we have the source of strength and power to tide us over the difficulties and meet the challenges that we are faced with. Pessimism and complaints will get us nowhere,” he said.

Mr. Brown called for greater trade collaboration and said he and Mr. Wen shared a “determination” to work together to deal with the global economic downturn.

“I believe that there is much scope for trade and investment to expand between our two countries even in these most difficult of times for the global economy. The strength of the relationship between China and Britain will be a pivotal force in helping us through the downturn and a powerful driving force behind our future growth and prosperity,” he said.

Sharing his guest’s concern over protectionist trends, Mr. Brown said the experience from previous economic crises had been that “short-term protectionist policies” only worsened the situation.

Agencies report from Cambridge:

A protester on Monday threw a shoe at Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao as he was giving a speech at Britain’s Cambridge University, just missing him.

“This is a scandal,” he shouted before security men bundled him out of a concert hall at the university, where Mr. Wen was speaking on the last day of a five-nation tour of Europe.

The protester, a young western-looking man in a T-shirt, threw the well-worn trainer from near the back of the auditorium.

It landed about a yard from the Premier, but did not hit him.

Security officials went on to the stage and kicked it off and a Chinese official took it away under his jacket.

The protester also blew a whistle. As he was bundled out, he said: “Stand up and protest.” Audience members retorted: “Shame on you, shame on you.”

Mr. Wen said after the interruption: “this despicable behaviour cannot stand in the way of friendship between China and the UK.”

In December last, an Iraqi journalist hurled two shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad.

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