Strengthening relations with China can support the domestic objectives of the UK goverment, the country's ambassador in London has said.

Zheng Zeguang said that mutual collaboration could only be positive as Britain aims to bring its economy back after the impact of the pandemic.

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak set five goals at the beginning of the year around the economy and social issues.

"Strengthening China-UK cooperation will do no harm to the UK in achieving these goals, especially halving inflation, promoting economic growth and reducing national debt," Zheng said in a speech to business leaders.

Sunak's other two goals are to tackle illegal immigration and improve the service provided by Britain's healthcare system.

'Oppose decoupling'

However, relations between the two nations have been strained in recent years with some politicians from Sunak's ruling Conservative Party urging him to follow the lead of Washington and take stronger action against Beijing and Chinese companies on security grounds.

Zheng said the UK must resist the urge to follow the example of "third countries" and ensure positive relationships continue.   

"We must resolutely oppose the "decoupling" argument, and we must resolutely resist the suppression of Chinese companies by drawing ideological lines or generalizing the concept of national security," he said.

The recent incident in which a Chinese balloon was shot down after passing over the U.S. has been manipulated for political purposes, according to Zheng, who said China had always been transparent and open in communicating the craft's civilian purpose as a weather monitoring platform.

He expressed hope that rather than seeing China's political system as a threat, Britons would come to understand that socialism with Chinese characteristics is the best fit for his country.

In his speech at a New Year's event hosted by financial giant HSBC, Zheng also spelled out the economic opportunities offered by China's workforce and large domestic market. The country has long-term, stable policies that will offer opportunities for foreign businesses, he said.