Summit to showcase Yorkshire to Chinese investors

Regional and business leaders from the Yangtze area of China will meet their counterparts from across the North of England and consider opportunities to work together.

The summit is part of the Government’s efforts to attract investment to strengthen the economy of the North.

Humber Local Enterprise Partnership chief executive Kishor Tailor and East Riding Council leader Stephen Parnaby will be among the Yorkshire figures taking part in the summit.

They will use the meeting as an opportunity to draw attention to developments on the Humber centred on renewable energy with the major investment in offshire wind by engineering giant Siemens, ports and logistics.

Mr Tailor said: “The summit offers an excellent opportunity to showcase the Humber as a place to invest and do business as part of the wider Northern Powerhouse to 100 regional officials and business leaders from China.

“We are interested in finding out any links between regions in China and the Humber and explore how we might do business with them involving our Northern neighbours.”

The Sheffield summit today follows meetings between the Yangtze delegation and Government officials in Whitehall.

Communities Secretary Greg Clark said: “The UK is already Europe’s second largest exporter of goods and services to China – this week offered the chance to build on that success.

“The UK-China Regional Leaders Summit will take senior Chinese regional leaders out of London to see for themselves the wealth of expertise and experience that businesses and local government across the Northern Powerhouse have to offer.”

Further summits are expected to be held with leaders from other parts of China.

Last year the council leaders from Leeds and Sheffield were part of a delegation to China led by Chancellor George Osborne to China seeking investment in the North.

During the visit it was confirmed the Chinese firm Hualing Industry Trade Group would invest in the Thorpe Park development, in Leeds, and the Sheffield Digital Campus.