Mayor Richard Parker explains why he is in China with the Prime Minister
Richard Parker, elected mayor for the West Midlands, said he hoped his trade visit to China would make the region better off.
Mr Parker was the only politician outside the Government to join Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the trip, which they hope will boost trade between the two countries.
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Jaguar Land Rover chief executive Pathamadai Balaji also formed part of the delegation, which arrived in Beijing yesterday (Wednesday).
The Prime Minister said engagement with China was vital given that China was the world’s second largest economy and the UK’s third largest trading partner.
Mr Parker was invited by the Prime Minister following a trade mission last year which led to Chinese company EcoFlow opening its European headquarters in the West Midlands.
He told the Express & Star: "I’m in China with the Prime Minister because engagement matters when it delivers for people back home.
"A consistent, pragmatic relationship is firmly in our interest.
“I was here last year making the case for the West Midlands and I came back with real investment, new partnerships and opportunities for our businesses and workers. This mission builds directly on that success."
“The West Midlands is the UK’s leading region for exports to China and a global hub for electric vehicles, batteries and advanced manufacturing. Before the pandemic our region was a net-exporter to China."
EcoFlow, which specialises in home energy production and storage, opened its European base at the Bruntwood Sci Tech Innovation Campus in Birmingham in March last year, creating 35 jobs.
The Prime Minister will meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing today (Thursday) for talks on trade, investment and national security, before travelling to Shanghai for a range of engagements with British and Chinese businesses.
Mr Parker added: "By travelling with the Prime Minister, British businesses and partners from across our region, we are showing that Britain is serious about trade, serious about clean growth and serious about partnerships that make the UK - and regions like ours - better off.”
