Cameron to lead China fund

Former British prime minister David Cameron has accepted a lead role with a newly proposed 750-million-pound ($1 billion) China-UK fund at a time when the United Kingdom is strengthening its relationship with China amid uncertainty around its pending exit from the European Union.

Announced on Saturday as one of 72 outcomes of the ninth China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue held in Beijing, the fund is being hailed as a new milestone in the "golden era" of China-UK relations that began in October 2015 when President Xi Jinping met Cameron during Xi's state visit to the UK.

Cameron will be the fund's vice-chairman, a role that allows him to "facilitate dialogue with the UK and Chinese governments ... at the invitation of the UK government", according to a statement from the UK government's advisory committee on business appointments, which regulates the new business roles of Britain's former politicians.