PM David Cameron Will Lead A Trade Delegation In China This December

Prime minister David Cameron is set to lead a delegation of businesses from the UK to China.

The Treasury has now confirmed that a large number of businesses, as well as a group of government ministers, will accompany the PM on a trip to China at the start of December.

As a result of the visit, chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement will now be delayed until December 5th.

SMEs have struggled to export to China and a recent study by Experian revealed that only 8.6 per cent of food manufacturers and 8.8 per cent of electrical equipment producers sell their products outside of the UK.

To combat this issue, Mr Cameron will aim to improve the facilities available to SMEs intending to enter the Chinese market, something that has so far proven relatively elusive for the UK's small business community.

Commenting on his trip to China, Mr Cameron said: "I will take senior British ministers - as well as business leaders from every sector, large and small - to forge a relationship that will benefit both our countries and bring real rewards for our people."

"This (Sino-British) is a relationship that is for the long term, that matters for Britain and China, and which I look forward to continuing to strengthen in the months and years to come."

In recent months the government has also attempted to forge closer relations with other emerging economies, including Brazil and Indonesia, something that may prove lucrative to SMEs in the future.

Expert Opinion

We are delighted that SMEs have been included in this trade mission and that the Government is keen to support them. <br/> <br/>“Many small firms have grown into larger organisations on the back of a successful export strategy and it is vital that more are encouraged to do the same. <br/> <br/>“Businesses looking to trade overseas have a host of opportunities available to them, but they also have a large number of issues that they need to deal with and overcome. It is imperative, therefore, that bosses exploring their options with international companies take appropriate and early legal advice.” <br/> Steven Beahan - Partner