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British Business (China)

I congratulate the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Olner) on securing the debate. As so many people wish to speak, I shall dump most of my speech and talk about suits, ties and watches on another occasion. I congratulate the Industry and Parliament Trust on this initiative. The hon. Gentleman is the chairman of the group, and the delegation was ably led by him and the hon. Member for Wirral, South (Ben Chapman). They did a splendid job, and I believe that every member of the delegation got something out of the trip. We owe a debt of gratitude to the wonderful staff at the IPT, which is a wonderful organisation. I did my fellowship donkeys' years ago with Esso, and am hoping to start a masters with Bank of America shortly. I understand that it will want to fly me to New York, so I am greatly looking forward to that. But as someone who had never been to China, the opportunity to go there changed my mind dramatically about a number of issues. The chief executive of the IPT, Mrs. Sally Muggeridge, stated:"““This fellowship was a fantastic educational opportunity for the group of MPs to gain a strong knowledge of issues surrounding China relevant to industry in the UK together with first-hand experience of business and growth in the country.""The China Fellowship was a natural extension of the IPT's work over the past 30 years in encouraging parliamentarians to improve their knowledge and understanding of business and the issues that affect it. Many of the delegates have already completed an 18-day IPT fellowship programme spending time within UK business.””" However, many of us need to go back. One visit to Shanghai hardly makes us experts, and I would like the opportunity to see a little more of the country.