As the third-largest investor into the UK, China is one of our most significant business partners and vital to our future growth. However, UK plc’s efforts to maximise trade and investment opportunities with China are held back by the greater difficulty experienced by Chinese individuals and their small and medium-sized enterprises who want to do business with Britain.

Comparisons with our largest European neighbours illustrate the problem. German chancellor Angela Merkel recently announced that annual Germany-China bilateral trade is expected to reach $284bn in the next five years. This contrasts starkly with an estimate of just $100bn for UK-China trade in a similar timeframe. The UK only does half as much trade with China as it does with France.

According to the Office for National Statistics and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), China’s net investment into the UK in 2010 was a barely respectable ￡401m. Viewing Britain as the English-speaking hub of European markets, it is clear there should be much further potential for increased Chinese trade and investment.