This November, Acolink, a Northern business bridging and enabling trade opportunities between the UK and China, hosted the grand launch of a roadshow across the Northern Powerhouse in Newcastle to promote export prosperity between UK businesses and China.
Newcastle was the first port of call, on the 20th November, in a series dedicated to encouraging local business to go global in the exciting Golden Era 2.0 between the UK and China.
Let’s Do China saw an enthusiastic and varied audience, from start-ups to established major businesses – across sectors and across the Northern Powerhouse.
For these ambitious businesses, Let’s Do China was an opportunity to learn about how to sustainably grow and develop in China in the long run. China’s openness for business and its long-term government-led initiatives has invigorated entrepreneurial UK firms with an appetite for exporting.
Acolink is working alongside both UK and China government, as well as private firms, in order to endorse and champion this while staying at the front of insights, developments and policy changes. They can then best help businesses to take the opportunity and embrace the market. Their ambition is to bring global opportunities closer to local businesses while also furthering international exchange and collaboration.
Ken Cuthbert, the Senior Regional Operations for the Northern Powerhouse at the DIT, touched base on the services that the DIT provides and spoke to attendees about the department’s links to the private sector, with niche knowledge of export and trade regulations, to facilitate trading opportunities for UK firms.
“This is where ACOLINK and Ward Hadaway come in,” he said. “We take you so far with your export strategy, and hand you over to a more expert private organisation. But we’ll still be there for you. We’re always there for businesses.”
Let’s Do China seeks to recognise, celebrate and bolster the possibilities of exporting to China. The interactive sessions offer a fresh to trading with China and understanding local market opportunities. Trade between the UK and China continues to thrive, with export driving a significant part of that growth.
Newcastle and the North East exported almost half a billion pounds worth of goods to China in 2017, accounting for 2.5% of the total export value to China in that period.
While at the launch of China’s International Import Expo in early November, UK business signed over £2bn worth of deals. While during the first hour of Alibaba’s Double 11, the biggest e-commerce shopping festival in the world, the UK was sixth amongst the countries of import.
Let’s Do China not only highlights China’s vibrant market, and its international openness, but also strengthens local businesses’ confidence in exporting.
This is the the kickstart of a series of workshops showcasing Chinese trade opportunities for an even more prosperous UK-China trading relationship.
Acolink’s Let’s Do China initiative has joined forces with Northern Powerhouse Export campaign and Exporting is GREAT to bring export opportunities closer to local businesses. Workshops are running this month in Leeds (22 November 2018) and Manchester (28 November 2018), with more to come throughout 2019 across the UK.
