Legal Experts Praise City’s Commitment To China

Legal experts at national law firm Irwin Mitchell have welcomed pioneering plans to make Sheffield a base for Chinese investment in the north, by setting up a ‘world-class’ business gateway.

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and The University of Sheffield‘s Confucius Institute revealed the plans just one week after the city council confirmed a landmark 60-year partnership with the Sichuan Guodong Construction Group.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Sheffield is a partnership between the university, the Office of Chinese Language Council International, Beijing Language and Culture University and Nanjing University.

Key members of the university are currently in Nanjing, China, promoting Sheffield.

The Sheffield Chamber of Commerce has been working with the Confucius Institute towards making Sheffield the landing place for China in the North by using the strong existing links with the country through the University, Sheffield Council and existing investors.

One example of this is the Chinese backed New Era development currently under construction. The huge project to build a Chinatown in Sheffield will include a 20-storey building and features shops, food and drink outlets, student flats and office space.

Paul Firth, Regional Managing Partner at Irwin Mitchell in Sheffield, welcomed the plans.