The United Kingdom recently announced that it is expanding its business cooperation with the rising Asian superpower, China. British Consul-General in Shanghai John Edwards confirmed that the two countries will enhance their cooperation ties in order to push the boundaries in selected sectors of finance, films, and life sciences.
The United Kingdom is billed as a guest country of honor during the first China International Import Expo which is expected to run from Nov. 5 to 10. The exposition is set to take place in Shanghai and the United Kingdom is slated to build its own national pavilion inside the National Exhibition and Convention Center which is also the expo's main venue.
The main theme of the upcoming expo is "Innovation is Great." Building on the idea, the United Kingdom is set to construct a pavilion that will feature some of the world's leading enterprises in several sectors including healthcare, life sciences, education, financial services, and the creative industries.
Several British companies are also slated to join the expo in support and solidarity of the United Kingdom. Among those that have confirmed their participation are Jaguar Land Rover, Astra Zeneca, British Airways, and Standard Chartered Bank. All these companies will have their own respective exhibit during the whole duration of the expo which is set to run for six days.
Mr. Edwards said that China and the United Kingdom have a lot of collaboration venture to consider. One of the biggest, and probably most lucrative, is the financial sector. Mr. Edwards said that London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is one of the financial hotspots in the world. As such, the city has a lot of experience in terms of developing a productive, stable, and transparent financial product.
Life sciences are also one of the biggest sectors the two countries can work on. The United Kingdom is considered to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world which covers the country's 60 million people. China, with its massive population, can learn a lot for the UK's experience and expertise in this, particularly important sector.
China's film industry is still widely considered as one of the biggest in the world. In 2017, the Chinese box office reported sales of $8.05 billion which made it the world's second-biggest box office sales record. This massive market presents a very interesting opportunity for studios in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Edwards said that the U.K. had, in the past, produced films that are popular in China. He believes that this particular field presents an interesting outlet of cooperation between China and the United Kingdom.
