The North East has seen the biggest increase in the number of exports to China out of any UK region.

A new report out today from the China-Britain Business Council, the UK’s leading business organisation promoting trade and investment with China, found exports from the region grew nearly 50 per cent between 2019 and 2020 to a total value of £500 million. Their analysis of the latest HMRC trade data between 2019 and 2020 showed dyeing, tanning and colouring materials were found to be the top products exported from the North East, followed by Specialised Machinery.

Food products were also popular, with meat named as the third biggest sector, dairy products fourth and miscellaneous edible products fifth.

Economic ties with China through trade, tourism and universities support tens of thousands of jobs across the UK, including 1,800 in the North East, according to 2020 data from Cambridge Econometrics.

According to the IMF, China is predicted to grow at 8.1 per cent this year. At that rate, this is the equivalent of adding an economy about the size of Spain’s to the global economy.

Torsten Weller, China Policy Analyst at the China-Britain Business Council: “This data makes it clear that more and more North East businesses are recognising the massive opportunities the Chinese market has to offer British companies.

“The region is also benefiting from investment from China and the recent decision from Nissan and Chinese battery manufacturer Envision to build a new electric vehicle and giant battery plant in Sunderland is hugely significant as we try to level up.”