Cameron to promote trade

Following the opening of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, China and the UK have agreed to hold a joint symposium in 2014 to promote bilateral cooperation in free trade and the service sector.

During Osborne's visit to China, the two sides agreed to promote London as a renminbi hub. This will for the first time enable investors in London to apply for licences to invest under the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor quota. London will be the first place outside China to be allocated such a quota and Chinese banks will be able to establish wholesale branches in the UK, which would enable them to significantly increase their activities in the UK.

Chinese investments are spread across the UK. The Beijing Construction and Engineering Group is helping build Manchester's 800 million pounds "Airport City". China Investment Corporation took an 8.68 percent stake in Thames Water and a 10 percent stake in Heathrow Airport last year, and the China General Nuclear Power Group has taken one-third stake in the French utility EDF to build a nuclear power station on the south coast of England. Also, Chinese companies are involved in developing London's Royal Albert Docks and the Nine Elms residential and office complex at London's South Bank.

Many successful Anglo-Chinese joint ventures can also be seen in the areas of automobiles, water safety, scientific research, nuclear waste management and genomic medicine.

Besides, Chinese nationals have become the largest non-European Union group visiting the UK for study or work. Last year, 40,000 Chinese arrived in the country to study or work, up from 29,000 in 2010, and close to 300,000 Chinese came as tourists.

What is surprising is that despite this, British politicians have not suggested any restrictions on Chinese nationals, although they are seeking outbid each other in demanding restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians who have an automatic right of entry to the UK from January 2014. This is an indication of the good reputation that the Chinese enjoy in the UK. Indeed, the British government has announced moves to relax visa restrictions for Chinese visitors to the UK.

Prime Minister Cameron is urging swift negotiations for an EU-China investment treaty, something that was announced just two weeks ago at the EU-China summit, because such an agreement will be of major benefit to the UK. Cameron and his team may also be studying the decisions of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee in areas in which the UK can help China pursue its reform course. Anglo-Chinese trade and investment may still be a long way behind Germany, but Cameron is on a mission to close the gap.

The author is director of the EU-Asia centre in Brussels.