British lion who stalks China for trade deals

The Airbus Aircraft for instance, a popular French import that is increasingly a regular feature in the skies above China, runs on engines made by Rolls Royce in the UK.

In April, Sassoon says, he was in Beijing to discuss trade matters with Vice-Premier Wang Yang. In the meeting room next-door, French President Francois Hollande was discussing further Airbus sales to China with Premier Li Keqiang.

"I said to Vice-Premier Wang Yang that we are grateful to Hollande for selling Airbuses to China, because there is more value for Britain in Airbus sales than there is for France," he says.

Sassoon says Britain's manufacturing sector has experienced a revival in recent years, largely because of an injection of foreign capital that has helped bolster struggling, iconic British brands. Notable examples include Indian conglomerate Tata's acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover and Germany's BMW buying the Mini car.

Chinese companies have also joined in on the investment bonanza.

In 2005, SAIC Motor Corp acquired British automaker MG Rover. Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric acquired British manufacturer Dynex Semiconductors Inc in 2008.

In both instances, the fresh injection of capital revitalized the British brand stalwarts, allowing them to grow their business and increase local employment.

Sassoon says both examples show when it comes to smart, foreign acquisitions, Britain is open for business.

"I think no country in the world has consistently welcomed foreign investment as much as Britain," Sassoon says proudly.

"We've been a trading nation for hundreds of years. We are a small country geographically, so we have to rely on commercial ideas and spirit. At a political level, we know this is where we can get ahead economically," he says.

Sassoon says the UK is also committed to providing a level playing field for international investors with regard to infrastructure projects. He says the nation's need of capital for infrastructure development and China's need to invest foreign reserves into projects with a steady income is a compelling and complementary match.

To date, China Investment Corp has bought 8.68 percent of the UK utility group Thames Water and 10 percent of London's Heathrow airport.

The Chinese nuclear power giant State Nuclear Power Technology Co is considering participating in the UK's nuclear project NuGen, after Spain's Iberdrola and France's GDF Suez began to look at offloading a portion of their holdings in the project recently.

Sassoon says China's investment in British nuclear projects makes sense from a business perspective.

"I know China has some very experienced nuclear operators. It's logical for those partnerships to want to get into the UK's new nuclear projects," he says.