UK culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has met with Chinese state councillor Liu Yandong at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in a "cultural dialogue" between the two countries.

Exchanges are scheduled to take place on an annual basis in order to develop closer links in areas where the UK is a world leader, such as culture, the creative industries and education.

According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the UK is now the only country aside from the US to participate in high level discussions with China on the issues.

Hunt said: "China is a country with a vibrant cultural past and a growing economic future. There is much that we can learn from one another."

Details: www.fco.gov.uk