The British Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, has raised Britain's concerns about human rights abuses in China with the country's president, Jiang Zemin.

Robin Cook: how to put an ethical foreign policy into practice (4'17")

During an hour-long meeting in Beijing, Mr Cook also told President Jiang that Britain wanted to begin a new dialogue with China covering trade and the environment.

Robin Cook is the most senior British official to visit China since London handed back Hong Kong in 1997 after years of bitter wrangling over the colony. His arrival follows last week's trip by the President of the Board of Trade, Margaret Beckett, aimed at boosting Anglo-Chinese commerce.

The BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent says the Chinese would once have been offended simply by the mention of human rights. That appears to have changed and the meeting between Mr Cook and President Jiang was described as warm and friendly.

Robin Cook asked his counterpart Qian Qichen about jailed activist Wang Dan

Later, Mr Cook asked his counterpart, Qian Qichen, for information about Wang Dan, one of the leaders of the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The political activist is now serving an 11-year prison sentence for conspiring to subvert the Chinese government.

The two ministers reviewed Hong Kong as part of their wide-ranging talks that also touched on the illicit drug trade, China's role as a major producer of greenhouse gases and relations between the country and the European Union.

Setting aside a row over a visit to Britain by leading Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, Mr Qian extended an open invitation to the top United Nations human rights official, a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

"The Chinese government is ready to welcome a Mary Robinson visit at any time," he said.

Ms Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, took up the post last September after a seven-year term as Irish president. There was no word on any arrangements for her to visit China.

Visit hints at new willingness by China to discuss human rights

Mr Qian also supported a tough line on Iraq's threat to end United Nations weapons inspections, the Foreign Office spokesperson added.

"There was no sympathy for Saddam Hussein's position," he said, referring to Mr Qian's view on the Iraqi president who has again defied the UN Security Council.

Mr Qian stressed that diplomacy should be used in a bid to solve the latest crisis. However he made clear that Iraq must abide by UN Security Council Resolutions and indicated a "firm line" should be taken, the spokesperson said.

There was no criticism by Mr Qian of military moves by Britain and the United States in response to Saddam's challenge, he added.

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