Regular trips to China are an enjoyable must – an opportunity to stay in touch with old friends and business contacts and to meet new ones.  This trip was a great combination of work attending China-Britain Business Council meetings in Beijing, Xi’an and Changsha; the China Outbound conference in Beijing, the One Belt, One Road seminar in Xi’an and the Made in China 2025 conference in Changsha.   The “sign a treaty book” came in handy.  It was an auspicious time to have visited following the successful state visit of President Xi Jinping at the end of October and the phrases “golden era” and “21st century relationship” were used in many a meeting.

The week started with some great food, in fact the launch of Food is Great and the British Menu Week in Beijing on Monday 2nd November where we were delighted to see our client Avlaki Oil. Good food continued during the week with some great banquets (and one of the largest round tables I have seen).  Outside of work, there was a trip to the Xi’an city wall, a trip to the Terracotta Warriors and a peaceful walk around Orange Island Park in Changsha to see the sculpture of Mao as a young man.

Roll on the next China trip.