CIC vies for office complex in London (2)

Grant Ji, a senior director in the investment department at the real estate service provider Savills Property Services (Beijing) Co Ltd, said: "London has seen a really brisk property market this year, as the financial crisis brought more buying opportunities.

"Moreover, the investment return in London's commercial property market is more steady than that at home, as the leasing terms there are much longer and the rent more steady."

CIC has been a regular bidder for British property.

The fund, which manages $410 billion, is reported to be in talks to buy Deutsche Bank's headquarters building in London for $403 million, according to a recent FT report.

CIC made its first investment in the UK property market in 2009, when it became a shareholder in Songbird Estates, which owns Canary Wharf - a district in the city employing 90,000 people, mainly financial services, and is home to the global headquarters of banks such as HSBC and Credit Suisse.

Zhang Ping, head of research at the international real estate service provider Cushman & Wakefield, added: "We have noticed a growing enthusiasm among Chinese investors for buying overseas real estate, and the UK and the United States are their favorite target markets."