Theresa May is extending an olive branch to China after the Hinkley Point snub

Andrew Parsons / PA Wire/Press Association Images

BEIJING (Reuters) and LONDON (BI) - Theresa May has written to China's leaders calling for closer links between Britain and China, weeks after causing confusion and anger by delaying a decision on a Chinese-funded nuclear power project in Britain.

The Prime Minister has written a letter to China's President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang expressing a wish to enhance trade and cooperation on global issues between the UK and China, China's foreign ministry said, citing Britain's Minister for Asia and the Pacific.

Alok Sharma, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, made the remarks during his meeting with China's foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing.

Sharma was quoted in a foreign ministry statement late on Monday saying that Britain called China an important global strategic partner and Britain is paying high attention to cooperation between the two countries.

The olive branch from May follows her decision to delay the already long-overdue Hinkley Point nuclear project, which is being built by France's EDF Energy and part-financed by a Chinese consortium.

The Financial Times quoted a senior official in the Chinese nuclear industry at the time as saying: "We are really questioning what’s going on. We were all set to go over when it was suddenly pushed back. It seems the UK government has a lot of doubts; we aren’t sure where all this is coming from."

A spokesperson for May said shortly after the decision: "We are going to continue to seek a strong relationship with China."

(Reporting By Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Michael Perry)