China is already the second-largest economy in the world by GDP and it is expected to be the biggest by the middle of this century. By taking a high profile role in the World Expo in Shanghai, the UK is helping strengthen economic ties with one of our most important trade and investment partners – one that represents one in fi ve of the world’s people.
This World Expo in Shanghai will be the biggest and most high-profi le expo the world has ever seen. The Chinese Government has announced ambitious plans to receive 70 million visitors during the six months of Expo. The Expo is a chance to show the very best that the UK has to offer and will also strengthen our partnership with China and build on that strong relationship for the future.
Both UK and Liverpool have dedicated pavilions at the event. Running from May to October, the Expo as a cultural and commercial Olympics promises to draw international attention to“Britishcreativity, innovation and expertise”. The central theme of the Expo is “Better city, better life.” This refl ects the need for cities to adapt to the needs of growing populations while protecting the environment. This is a particular concern for China, which is why the urban best practice area is seen as so important and why north-west companies specialising in the environmental work could be particularly well placed to take advantage. With such a strong and growing economy, however, there are opportunities across the board for competitive and innovative companies to succeed.
UK Trade & Investment is here to help north-west companies maintain and improve upon that growth, providing a range of services for everyone from new and inexperienced exporters to high growth research and development focused companies. Our North West team provides additional specialist expertise on developing business links in China and the Asia Pacifi c region.
Shanghai and the wider Chinese economy offer substantial long term opportunities and I am delighted to be visiting both Shanghai and Beijing again, working closely with friends and partners to help companies explore the opportunities and achieve their trade goals in China.