Greater Manchester's Engagement with China
April 2013 saw the launch of the Manchester China Forum - a scheme that aims to support the links between Greater Manchester and China by boosting investment, growth in exports, the amount of tourism and many other objectives. Primarily, it is a “business-led initiative aimed at increasing Greater Manchester’s commercial connectivity with China.” ¹ Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, launched the Forum on the 26th of April, and since its launch has received acclaim as a highly innovative and successful initiative.
“In recent years there has been significant investment into Manchester from China, and there are now 39 Chinese-owned companies operating across Manchester.” ² These companies include the Bank of China, Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG), Chint, Huawei Technologies, and many others. Manchester is a very appealing place for businesses to call their home, with the cost of running a business 40% less than setting up in the capital city of London. Greater Manchester is home to the UK’s largest regional, international airport, which serves more cities than Heathrow and is currently undergoing an £800 million expansion. It was announced last year that BCEG are to be part of this investment scheme in a joint venture with Manchester Airports Group (MAG). Being incredibly well connected is a vital part of the scheme, with one of its objectives being to secure direct air routes between Manchester and China. Manchester is already very well connected within the UK, so this expansion of the main airport will be a valuable asset to the Manchester China Forum.
Lord Wei, an influential advisor to the UK government and the highest ranking Parliamentarian of Asian origin in Europe, played a huge role in putting the Wei report together in 2012 – a document which outlines the best way to boost links and profitability between Manchester and China. The report contains information about what businesses are looking for in both regions, and also how both aim to work alongside one and other to build a successful partnership. He said that “work done in this report shows Manchester is serious about harnessing great brands, strong Chinese community and diaspora links, and partnerships with business, the voluntary sector, and government, to take the measures necessary to grow East.” ³
A collaboration between the UK city region and China could potentially mean great things for both parties – already, a third of the North of England’s Chinese population live in Manchester, and a high number of Chinese students choose to attend university there too. There has been a 45% increase in the number of Chinese students studying in Manchester over the last five years.⁴ (The Manchester Investment Portfolio) Pair these statistics with the amount of interest that some of Manchester’s biggest success stories attract – including Manchester United Football Club, Media City in Salford, the home of the BBC and ITV since 2012, and Airport City, currently undergoing £800 million of redevelopment – and you can see exactly why a partnership between Greater Manchester and China makes perfect sense.
Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council commented: “China creates an economy the size of Greece every 11 and a half weeks – that’s a game we need to be playing in.” ⁵
1 – Invest in Manchester, 2 & 4 – The Manchester Investment Portfolio, 3 & 5 – New Economy.
