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British Business (China)

Everyone in the delegation was a great ambassador, not only for the IPT but for the UK Parliament. I do think that the trip was important. It was non-political and formed a genuine basis on which we could learn better about how UK business operates and works in China and the rest of the world. I agree with my hon. Friend that that happens because of the sincerity of the relationship between the UK businesses that support the IPT and the fellows who get attached to them. I think that bond is very unique. We would be challenged if we tried to emulate it, because it has developed over many years. We were impressed by our visit to the Suzhou industrial park—a joint venture with Singapore. Following an agreement signed in 2002, funding was made available and within five years we saw a massive industrial park offering every facility to Chinese and international businesses. We also learned about how China is handling climate change. BP China is at the forefront of investigating clean technology and has invested in a university-scale research unit that employs more scientists and climate change experts than I care to mention. Not only did we hear about its extensive research and development, which will produce remarkable results in reducing emissions, but about its skill in handling a major joint venture with China to shape a way forward for energy to serve a country of 1.5 billion people. I think that when the Chinese consider the scale of what is being done, and needs to be done, in their country, their position becomes apparent to them and they think, ““We might be China, and we might punch a bit, but there is a real big world out there that we need to know about.”” Having arrived shortly after the earthquake in Sichuan, we paid our sincere respects to all those who tragically died in that natural disaster and signed the book of condolences at the foreign ministry. The power of nature can make us realise how frail human beings are. As my hon. Friend the Member for Preston (Mr. Hendrick) said, we were presented with an excellent overview of Chinese operations by PricewaterhouseCoopers. We also learned from Arup about eco-city initiatives and saw many of the magnificent earthquake-proof high buildings, which are very visible on the skyline. China is an earthquake region and major engineering is needed to ensure that buildings are safe. We also visited the consul and were advised by UK trade investors on their initiatives on UK investment in and out of China and the major Expo scheduled for 2010. Sadly, that has attracted little UK funding. Are we doing enough at ministerial level to provide aid and assistance to UK businesses, particularly in China? Education was also a focus of our visit. British interests were represented in various joint ventures delivering high-quality secondary and higher education on a major scale. With the British Council, we visited the campuses of the universities of Nottingham and Liverpool and of Dulwich college to see how non-Chinese children can receive an international education and hopefully contribute in the future to China's fast-growing economy. While in Shanghai, I did my fellowship with GKN, and it was very good to witness the GKN experience in Shanghai. It was making automotive products for the Chinese automotive industry. Some of the my colleagues on that visit said that my face became a little more animated when I saw metal being cut and other things that I fully understood and was au fait with. I congratulate GKN and others on being able to move into that sphere and contributing to Chinese automotive industries. The purpose of today's debate is threefold. First, if they catch your eye, Mr. Illsley, it gives an opportunity for hon. Members to recount their experiences and impressions and to tell us what perceptions they formed on the visit. Secondly, I want it to raise awareness of what more British business could do in China, and how that could be helpful. I should be grateful if the Minister, even though he is new to his job, told us how important he thinks that relationship is. Thirdly, given the global crisis that we face, with Chinese sovereign reserves amounting to something like $1.8 trillion, we should foster our relationship with China and encourage it to invest more in British businesses. Global economies have changed a great deal in the past six months, and that makes it even more important that the UK is a major player in the global field of business in both China and the wider world.