LONDON, March 15 (People's Daily Online) -- Lord Mayor of the City of London, Charles Bowman, is visiting China from 19 to 28 March 2018 to promote trade and investment, and London’s role in the Belt and Road initiative. The Lord Mayor will meet senior members of the Chinese government and business leaders during his visit. The nine day visit, accompanied by senior City figures from sectors such as banking, insurance, accountancy and legal, will include Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing.

In China’s leading tech hub Shenzhen the Lord Mayor will be highlighting the potential for further collaboration in the area of fintech. In addition, he will showcase London’s role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, a region larger than Wales with a GDP of $1.36 trillion (£981 billion) in 2016 and an estimated population of 66.71 million.

In Hong Kong the Lord Mayor will be speaking at the GREAT Festival of Innovation, talking about the importance of collaboration between international financial centres, particularly in the Belt and Road initiative.

Moving to Shanghai the Lord Mayor will meet the City’s Mayor Ying Yong for a ceremony to re-sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the City of London and Shanghai government. The commitment marks the latest chapter in collaboration between the two cities since the first agreement was signed in 1996. 

In Beijing, the Lord Mayor’s final stop in China, he will speak at a forum focussed on the Xiong’An New Area- a new economic zone being constructed on the outskirts of Beijing which the Chinese government aims to develop as a world-class digital financial centre. 

Speaking ahead of his trip, Lord Mayor Charles Bowman, said:“The City of London has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with China. I hope my visit will lead to even closer cooperation in this Golden Era of relations between our two great countries.

“Following Prime Minister Theresa May’s successful trip earlier this year, a key part of my visit will be promoting London’s role as the natural Western hub of the Belt and Road Initiative, for which firms in the City have much to offer.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:“The Great Festival of Innovation is underpinned by a shared desire to build on the success of longstanding trading relationships between Asia and the UK and to stimulate further growth, with the City of London vital for developing the Golden Era of relations between our two countries. (Tianxing Bai)