英国希望"一带一路"能带动北部城市发展

A key feature of Chinese president Xi Jinping's UK state visit -- is a stop in the Northern English city of Manchester. The British government hopes Chinese firms will be part of a massive development plan for that region. It fits into China's much larger plan to link East and West.

China's Xinjiang region, one of the most remote places on earth. But maybe not for much longer.

China's One Belt One Road development corridor will link China and Asia to western Europe. A 21st century trade superhighway - and it will come right through Xinjiang.

That's why this man - British finance minister George Osborne - visited the region during his recent trip to China. He wants British companies to have a slice of the construction pie.

But that's not all. Osborne hopes to align his Northern Powerhouse project in the UK to the Belt and Road initiative. And China's president supports it.

"The Belt and Road initiative is open and we know that when everyone adds wood to the fire, the higher the flame goes. We welcome the UK's participation and we encourage Chinese companies to participate in the construction of the Northern Powerhouse and make more investments so we will achieve win-win results," Xi said.

Linking the northern English cities of Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield will cost money - lots of it. And the British government wants Chinese companies to help build High Speed 2 - better connecting the region to London and Europe. It's just one part of Osborne's plan to make Britain China's closest western friend.

"There is no economy in the West that is as open to Chinese investment as the United Kingdom. We welcome Chinese investment. There's huge amounts of Chinese investment coming into Britain at the moment, indeed we're attracting more investment than Germany, France and Italy put together," UK Chancellor of The Exchequer George Osborne said.

Xinjiang-based Hualing group has already joined property projects in three northern English cities worth nearly two billion dollars.

And as investment and skills flow both ways - the British government hopes that's just the start.