China Emergence An 'Opportunity' - Cameron

David Cameron has described the emergence of China as an economic power as an "opportunity for Britain and the world".

The Prime Minister made the comments while in Beijing on a business and enterprise trip.

"China’s transformation is one of the defining facts of our lifetime," he said. "The pace and the scale of economic development and urbanisation dwarfs the British Industrial Revolution two centuries ago. And let me say something about the relationship between our two countries: I see China’s rise as an opportunity not just for the people of this country, but for Britain and for the world. Britain wants China to realise its dream, and I believe we can help each other succeed in the global race."

Mr Cameron said he would "champion" an EU-China trade deal to the same extent as EU-US trade deals.

"No country in the world is more open to Chinese investment than the United Kingdom, and we are proud of the Chinese investment in our energy sector, in our airports, and proud of London’s role as a renminbi trading hub," he said.

Mr Cameron said UK exports to China were up by almost 20% in the first half of this year.

"As governments we’re building the environment for our businesses to flourish in the long-term, with new agreements on investments and patents, a new £200m joint research fund, as the Premier has mentioned, which will boost innovation, and a digital alliance which could unleash £2bn of investment.

He continued: "Confucius once said: "If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of 10 years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people." I believe these are wise words, and ones that we should both follow."

(IT/CD)