I got a sense of déjà vu on my first trip to the Bund on Shanghai’s famous waterfront on the west bank of Huangpu River. Admiring the architecture of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) building, I noticed how similar it looks to neo-classical buildings in UK - for example Buckingham Palace and the British Museum.
SPDB building was owned by Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation (HSBC) between 1923-1955 and was constructed by British Architects Palmer & Turner. Palmer & Turner also built three other buildings on the Bund - Bank of China, Yokohama Specie Building & Yangtze Insurance. Their venture into Hong Kong in 1868 makes them the oldest and largest international architectural practice in South East Asia.
And now, British architects are again making their mark on China. Zaha Hadid, is bringing her futuristic vision to China’s skyline with the Guangzhou Opera House in Guangdong, Galaxy Soho retail complex and BJ New Airport Terminal in Beijing.
And when I walk on one of the busiest shopping streets in the world, browsing through Aquascutum, Burberry and Gieves & Hawkes and buying a snack from Marks and Spencer, you’d automatically assume my location is either Regent Street or Oxford Street. Actually, I’m amongst the shoppers on Nanjing Road, Shanghai.
Burberry has 9 stores in Beijing and 4 in Shanghai. Gieves & Hawkes has over 100 stores in China.
So I’ve made my point that the British influence is everywhere in Shanghai’s amazing cityscapes. But it’s not just about retail and architecture, and not just about Shanghai.
There are many UK companies operating in China eg Tesco, HSBC - our largest exporter there is Jaguar Land Rover.
The UK is now the second biggest European exporter to China. UK’s exports to China are growing 3 times as fast as our imports from China. In the last 5 years our exports to China has doubled.
There are opportunities for UK companies in many sectors:
- Financial, Professional & Business Services
- Oil & Gas
- Power Generation
- Renewable Energy
- Infrastructure
- Aerospace
- Automotive
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Marine
- Life Sciences and Healthcare
- Retail & Culture
Your company can take advantage of these opportunities.
We’re currently working together with Britain’s longest established Chinese Bank , Bank of China, on a business-matchmaking event in October. The aim is to facilitate business opportunities between UK and Chinese companies using Bank of China’s extensive customer network.
The Bank of China has a network of over 10,000 branches and 60,000 small and medium sized customers (SME) in China potentially looking to do business with UK SMEs - register your interest here.