Biggest Ever UK Trade Mission to China

The Prime Minister David Cameron led the biggest ever UK Government delegation to China during November, after stating that UK firms should seek to explore opportunities for expanding their business in China, the world’s second largest economy and the UK’s ninth largest export market He said:“This is a vitally important trade mission. Our message is simple: Britain is now open for business, has a very business-friendly government, and wants to have a much, much stronger relationship with China. I’m delighted we’ve got such a wide range of institutions and businesses coming with us. This visit will mark another step to making Britain the successful, open, trading and probusiness country that I want it to be." Business Secretary Vince Cable also part of the delegation added: “Domestic consumption in
China is growing, the middle class is expanding, and Chinese companies are looking to internationalise. This brings a huge increase in opportunities for UK firms given that they are globally competitive in services, advanced manufacturing and engineering, ICT, life sciences and creative industries – all areas where
Chinese demand is growing significantly.

With UK exports to China rising by 44% in the first eight months of this year, British firms say that the world’s second biggest economy has provided their firms with great growth opportunities.

In many cases, sales to China now make a substantial contribution to their overall turnover. “China represents the biggest source of demand in the world for many of the products that we in the UK have to offer.

This makes it a very lucrative market for our businesses and thousands have now taken the leap abroad and become highly successful in regions across China. In their own words, they have found that the expanding Chinese economy has provided them with the demand they need to grow. I hope that the bonds we are forming during this visit will make it easier for even more businesses to develop in the same way.” Mr Cable added. Thousands of UK firms are already operating in China, many with help from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) which has a network spread throughout the country. For more information visit www.ukti.gov.uk.