Miliband's comments came ahead of talks in Beijing with Chinese leaders which he said would focus on efforts to resolve the international standoff over Tehran's disputed nuclear drive.

China, a close ally of Iran, is the only permanent Security Council member that has so far refused to agree to tougher sanctions against the Islamic republic despite mounting pressure from the West.

But Miliband said the permanent Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- "are all agreed on a dual-track strategy, which is on the one hand engagement with Iran and at the same time pressure."

Miliband said he would discuss with Premier Wen Jiabao, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other officials "how we can address the real threat that the Iranian nuclear programme poses to international stability and security."

The West suspects Iran of secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons, a charge rejected by Tehran, which says its atomic programme is purely for civilian energy purposes.

Miliband also dismissed the idea that Britain and China had a "conflictual relationship" after ties were strained in recent months over climate change and human rights, and their differences on Iran.

"I think it is very important that we have a strategic relationship with China," he said during a visit to a training facility for China's UN peacekeepers ahead of talks with Chinese leaders on Tuesday.

"The world needs China to play a responsible role but China needs the world as well."

Miliband's younger brother Ed, the British climate change secretary, had accused China of "hijacking" the global climate change talks in Copenhagen in December -- charges that Beijing has denied.

The foreign secretary said Monday he was "disappointed by the outcome of the Copenhagen conference" and that all nations had to work to "regain lost ground" before the next summit in Mexico -- highlighting that differences remain.

Relations hit a low point when Britain summoned China's ambassador in December in protest at the execution of a Briton for drug smuggling.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "appalled and disappointed" by the execution of Akmal Shaikh, a 53-year-old father of three who, according to supporters, had bipolar disorder.

China said there was insufficient evidence to back up the mental illness claim.

London has also criticised the conviction of leading Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December on subversion charges.

Last week, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Miliband and his hosts would "exchange ideas on China-UK relations and other major international and regional issues of common interest".

The British foreign secretary was in Beijing after kicking off his China visit in Shanghai, where he visited the World Expo site and gave a speech at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

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