City team seeking to promote ties with China

BUSINESS and civic leaders from a city in China are visiting Scunthorpe to promote stronger ties with North Lincolnshire.

A delegation from Liyang City in the Jiangsu province on China’s east coast met North Lincolnshire Council leader Coun Mark Kirk, and the council’s strategic regeneration team, at Normanby Hall yesterday .

The delegation is said to be particularly interested in North Lincolnshire’s steel industry and the support businesses that have grown around it.

They were given a presentation about what the region has to offer and business opportunities in North Lincolnshire.

Coun Kirk said: “This is a great opportunity for us to strengthen our relationship with Liyang City, an area with similar industries to our own.

“North Lincolnshire is a world-class competitor in the business world and is home to several global companies.

“This visit is very important to us and I would like to thank the Chinese delegation for choosing to come here.”

A group from the regional development agency Yorkshire Forward visited Liyang City last year to showcase the strengths of the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Similar initiatives to boost international trade with China have been taken on the North Bank of the Humber.

Last month, Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce and civic leaders from Hull led a visit to the port of Qingdao to coincide with the arrival there of the clipper yacht fleet, which along with the Yorkshire Forward-sponsored entry Hull & Humber is racing around the globe.

Hull Council is also organising a trip to Iceland in May for businesses in the Humber region.

Any company considering exporting or importing goods to or from Iceland is invited to attend.