More than 120 British companies attended the UK-China Business Exchange event, sponsored by Jaguar Land Rover, at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire on Tuesday. The companies there will be able to get first hand information from Chinese engineering conglomerates such as AVIC and COMAC. Business Ambassador and chief executive of GKN, Sir Kevin Smith, and the chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board, Iain Gray, gave keynote speeches at the event aimed at encouraging companies to make the most of opportunities in China.

The Chinese delegation also met officials from UK Trade & Investment, the government’s international business development department, as well as representatives from UK companies to discuss doing business in the Chinese aerospace industry. The talks were aimed at building on the strong bilateral trade links between the aerospace and automotive industries.

Whilst the meeting in Bristol focused on aerospace a separate meeting in London concentrated on building successful links in the automotive sector.

Chinese investment in the British automotive sector is already growing with Changan’s research and development facility in Nottingham while MG, who recently restarted production, is owned by SAIC.

The UK aerospace sector is regarded as a world leader in composite technologies. British companies are also developing ever-greener and more fuel-efficient engines, expertise that the Chinese are keen to learn from.

Susan Haird, acting Chief Executive of UK Trade & Investment, said: “British advanced engineering has a fantastic reputation in China. The visit to the UK this week by such a senior group of industry figures is proof of the high regard the Chinese have for British advanced engineering skills and products.

It has been estimated that the China will need as many as 2,800 new passenger aircraft and freighters between now and 2026. Chinese aerospace company Comac intends to build the C919, designed to challenge Boeing and Airbus. Representatives of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China – the organisation that will design and build the new Chinese – are among the delegates visiting the UK.

UK aerospace

• Much of the UK aerospace order book is driven by international markets and, in part, by demand for new, innovative and more environmentally friendly aircraft like the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787.

• With the Airbus A380, some 400 UK-based companies supply almost half of the content, with the most high-value parts of the aircraft, the wings and the engines manufactured by Airbus and Rolls-Royce respectively in the UK.

• Major UK R&D programmes include the Rolls-Royce-led Environmentally Friendly Engine and the £103 million Next Generation Composite Wing project being led by Airbus UK.

• Globally the UK Aerospace industry is second only to the US, with a turnover of £19.81 billion

• Exports in the aerospace sector accounted for 63 per cent, or £12.2 billion of sales, reinforcing the global nature of the aerospace market.

• UK companies also have a significant overseas presence, employing 50,800 people generating revenues of £8.5 billion.