Sino-British ties enter new phase with Qingdao industrial park

Ties between China and the United Kingdom are not confined to political discussions at the government level, but also percolate down to the regional level with the involvement of individual businesses and people, officials from the two countries said.

The officials were speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony of the China-Britain Innovation Industry Park, or CBIIP, recently in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province. The park aims to foster economic cooperation between China and the UK. The two countries' relationship entered the "Golden Era" two years ago, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties.

"The investment environment in China offers huge opportunities for UK's advanced manufacturing and innovative technology industries," said Mark Wareing, minister-counsellor at the British embassy in Beijing, on the sidelines of the ceremony.