Hong Kong is a dynamic hub for UK companies to launch their China strategy, according to Director - Northwest, UKTI, Vicki Treadell

"One thing that has really developed in an extraordinary way in the past decade is Hong Kong's relationship with China," said Ms Treadell. "Hong Kong has always been an excellent gateway to the China market - but this role is growing, and now must be considered in the bigger context of the global supply chain."

UKTI is the British Government organisation that supports companies in the UK doing business internationally and overseas enterprises seeking to set up or expand in the UK.

"We help UK companies to be more competitive by offering practical services and help to identify contacts, distributors, buyers and the right partners. There's a lot of scope for us to cooperate with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC)," explained Ms Treadell.

Strong ties between Hong Kong and UK

She added that Hong Kong and the UK have very close historical ties, which remain strong. There are some 18,000 British expatriates living in Hong Kong, and more than 300 UK companies with regional headquarters or offices.

Under UKTI's China strategy, Ms Treadell said they had identified priority sectors, including education and training, environmental technology, professional/ financial services, creative industries, and chemical and textiles.

"These are strong industries in the Northwest of England, and we see many opportunities for partnering with Hong Kong and Chinese companies," said Ms Treadell.

"Of course there are challenges," said Ms Treadell. "UK companies are concerned about intellectual property protection, financing, and of course cultural issues and business etiquette. Going through Hong Kong is certainly a route that UK companies should consider for their China strategy. 'Where do you start' is the main question they have, and working through a HK partner is one way to minimise risk."

She explained that the region already had many ties to China and Hong Kong - with a strong community of leading Chinese entrepreneurs in the region, as well as a vibrant 7,000-strong Chinese student community in Manchester.

"Two-way trade is flourishing, and there are abundant opportunities for concrete partnerships between our two regions," said Ms Treadell.

Hong Kong's total exports to the UK grew by 15 per cent to US$8.4 billion in 2004 and imports rose by 19 per cent to US$3.7 billion.

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