Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, President of the Conservative Friends of the Chinese chaired a meeting of the Bejing Blue Club to discuss the way forward in the UK relationship with the emerging markets in China
Tom Calvert who has worked in China for the last 14 years is fluent in Mandarin presented 'A Proposal for a UK Strategic Paper on China', highlighting how a sea change in the UK attitude towards getting the most from our relationship with China by constructing a more comprehensive discourse on the subject at Westminster and in the media. Anatole Pang, also fluent in Mandarin stressed the importance of investment in Mandarin-language learning across the education system in Britain from primary school through to university to ensure that Britain became 'China capable' in the 2020's. Further effort to support the efforts of the UK Border Agency to increase awareness of the advantages of and access to UK visas in China in order to facilitate business, tourism and the education export industry was also recommended. Richard Graham MP, PPS to the Rt. Hon. Hugo Swire MP, Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said he was hoping to be travelling in China in the very near future and endorsed the points being made by the members of the Bejing Blue Club.
The Chancellor, the Rt. Hon. George Osborne MP confirmed there would be an easing of obtaining Visas for Chinese Students and Tourists during his visit to Bejing today.
Photograph: Jackson NG, Mark Pinner, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Tom Clavert and Anatole Pang