"Central China has put green growth high on agenda and that is a huge opportunity for British businesses," said the UK Trade Commissioner for China John Edwards at the 12th Central China Investment and Trade Exposition, which was just concluded in north China's Shanxi Province.

He noted more cooperation between the two countries can be expected from China's new type of development.

Edwards first visited China in 1998. Over 20 years on, he said China is not only a very big manufacturing country as it was 20 years ago, but also a major engine for innovation.