A banquet in celebration of the Chinese New Year was held on the 10th of February at Poon抯 Gosforth Palace, one of the most prestigious Chinese restaurants in the North East of England. Hosted by the China Business Association, One NorthEast and UKTI, the evening expressed a continued close cooperation between the Chinese and English business communities, reflecting the strong links between our region and China.

A total of 100 guests attended the banquet. Miss Jenny Shi, from One North-East, opened the evening with a warm welcome to all present before introducing the speakers. Dr. Zhongye Zhu, Chairman of the China Business Association spoke on the remarkable progress of the cooperation between the Chinese and British business communities, affirming the importance of the relationship. This theme was reaffirmed by Mr David Coppock, International Trade Director of UKTI North East, who highly praised the progress made by the Northeast exporting companies in developing business relationships between the region and China. Mr Kevin Aisbitt, Asia Pacific General Manager from One NorthEast, stressed the significance of Chinese investment in the North East and expressed his best wishes to the Chinese investors in the region.

Marking the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, the warm and culturally coloured evening of entertainment saw performances of impressive Chinese martial art and traditional music. The evening also offered an opportunity for guests to make new acquaintances and discuss ideas for new and novel business propositions.