CHINA and Britain should have more exchanges of views on major international issues and China values the Italian role played in the E.U. and the international arena, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji said in Johannesburg Monday.

　During a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the sidelines of the World Summit, Zhu said China valued developing a full partnership in cooperation with Britain.

　Meeting with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Zhu said China and Italy had shared identical viewpoints and common interests on a number of international issues.

　China and Italy had also made considerable headway in cooperating for environmental protection, Zhu said, citing the Sino-Italian environmental project, launched during the ummit, as a specific showcase of the partnership between the two countries.

　Blair said Britain paid much attention to the development of relations with China, adding that it was expected to enhance consultations on global issues with China.Zhu is on a working visit to South Africa and attending the summit’s final session of heads of state and government.

　South Africa is the last leg of Zhu’s Africa tour, which also took him to Algeria, Morocco and Cameroon.(SD-Xinhua)