Northern Powerhouse China deals to be announced

The Prime Minister David Cameron is set to announce today that new partnerships with China will “unlock the potential” of the Northern Powerhouse.

Mr Cameron and the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, will undertake a tour of Manchester as part of China’s state visit to the UK.

The partnerships expected to agreed include the appointment of Beijing Construction and Engineering Group (BCEG) as main contractor for the Middlewood Locks regeneration project in Manchester.

Hualing Group will sign a deal with UK real estate company Scarborough Group International to invest in three major regeneration projects in the north: Middlewood Locks in Manchester, Thorpe Park in Leeds and Sheffield Digital Campus.

A joint innovation and entrepreneurship competition will be established between the University of Central Lancashire and the Shenzhen government in south eastern China.

Uppingham School in Rutland will set up five schools in China in a partnership with Hainan Airline and Tourism Group.

671 jobs will also be secured with the completion of the acquisition of educational supplies company Promethean World Plc and Hong Kong-based company, Netdragon Websoft.

The leaders will visit Manchester Airport for the announcement of the new route from Hainan Airlines that is envisaged will be worth a potential £50M to Manchester economy by opening links from China.

The visit to Manchester will also see the Prime Minister and President meet with former players from Manchester United and Manchester City and visit the National Football Museum.

The Prime Minister has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to “rebalancing” the UK’s economy and creating a Northern Powerhouse.

Mr Cameron said: “China is a key trading partner for the UK and the partnerships being made today will see real investment going into the north.

“This is all part of this government’s plan to attract more investment and deliver economic growth to an area of huge potential.”

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