27 april 2013, china in my pocket

Quite a major event, as finally launched the manchester-china forum yesterday, with no less than the british finance minister, george osborne, who endorsed it enthusiastically and will now be a helpful contact government-side, even though the construction is to sit alongside rather than within the main uk efforts to improve economic links with china; oh, and the consul-general. Generated a fair amount of publicity too. I've been banging on about the crucial nature of this for literally years, so it was great to take a big step in the right direction, and to see strong evidence (of what economic growth needs) leading policy and politics rather than, as often, the other way around. China is neither an easy nor a comfortable place to do business, but it is an absolutely essential one, and I have to admit to feeling good to have orchestrated something that really ought to help make it somewhat easier, and done so in a way that means we are in it for the long term; as the chinese are on all fronts.