Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond speaks during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on May 14, 2017 in Beijing, China. | Lintao Zhang/Getty Images Philip Hammond: UK will pursue stronger China ties Britain is a ‘natural partner’ for China in the West, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer said.

Britain wants to build stronger ties with China as it prepares to leave the EU and will strongly support the Beijing-led "One Belt One Road" initiative to build better infrastructure connections and economic ties between Asia and Europe, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said Sunday.

"Britain, lying at the Western end of the Belt and Road, is a natural partner in this endeavor," Hammond said in a speech at the "One Belt One Road" forum in Beijing, according to his official remarks.

"As we embark on a new chapter in our history, as we leave the European Union, we want to maintain a close and open trading partnership with our European neighbors but at the same time, it is our ambition to secure free trade agreements around the world with new partners and old allies alike."

"Our ambition is for more trade, not less," he added. "China clearly shares that ambition."

Hammond's remarks betrayed no sign of worry or concern. But the U.K. is facing serious economic peril and uncertainty as a result of Brexit. The challenges are compounded by the fact that according to the EU treaties, the U.K. is legally prohibited from unilaterally pursuing new trade agreements while it is still a member of the EU.

Nonetheless, laying the groundwork for a bilateral accord with China, the world's second-largest economy, has become an urgent priority for U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and her government.

And Hammond was clearly on a charm offensive Sunday as he praised Chinese President Xi Jinping's efforts to better connect the two continents.

"As President Xi has said, the initiative must 'follow the principle of wide consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefit,'" Hammond said. "I agree."

Noting that Asia's infrastructure needs $26 trillion in spending by 2030, Hammond said, "The U.K. can be a natural partner in delivering this infrastructure, supporting the finance, design, and delivery needed to make President Xi’s vision a reality."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his own speech at the forum, threw Moscow's full support behind Xi's initiative. Putin also laced his remarks with criticism of protectionism and the current global economic order, a thinly veiled rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump.

"The risks of a disrupted global economic and technological space are becoming increasingly obvious," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript of his remarks.

"Protectionism is becoming a common practice that manifests itself in unilateral illegitimate restrictions, including how technology is supplied and distributed," he said. "The ideas of openness, freedom of trade are often rejected even by those who supported them so vigorously in the past."