China deals drive Northern Powerhouse as PM and President Xi Jinping tour Manchester

The North will secure a host of partnerships with China to drive the government’s Northern Powerhouse vision, Prime Minister David Cameron will announce today (October 23).

The news comes as Mr Cameron and China’s president, Xi Jinping, set off on a tour of Manchester that will take in Manchester City Football Academy, the National Football Museum and Manchester Town Hall.

The tour will round off with a visit to Manchester Airport, where Chinese firm Hainan Airlines is set to introduce the first ever direct flights from Manchester to China, a deal estimated to give a £50m boost to the city’s economy.

Other deals to drive the Northern Powerhouse include Beijing Construction and Engineering Group’s (BCEG) appointment as the main contractor on Manchester’s Middlewood Locks regeneration project, as well as the University of Central Lancashire’s decision to launch a joint innovation and entrepreneurship campus with the government of Shenzhen, a city in southeastern China.

Elsewhere, the acquisition of Blackburn-based educational supplies firm Promethean World Plc by Hong Kong-based Netdragon Websoft, for £84.8m, is being finalised to secure 671 jobs.

The Prime Minister said: “We are committed to rebalancing our economy and building a Northern Powerhouse.

“China is a key trading partner for the UK and the partnerships being made today will see real investment going into the North.”

He added: “This is all part of this government’s plan to attract more investment and deliver economic growth to an area of huge potential.”

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