Brexit will not impact China-Britain relations: Minister

Brexit would not impact China-UK relations, said a visiting British minister, describing bilateral ties as entering a golden era.

UK Minister for Asia and the Pacific Alok Sharma said on Tuesday that leaving the European Union presented Britain with many opportunities when it comes to other friends such as China, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have the opportunity to start dialogue and talk to China about what our trade relations might look like once we have left the European Union," the India-born British politician said after unveiling an expanded UK Visa Application Centre in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian Province.

Fuzhou is the second leg of Sharma's four-stop China visit. His delegation, which contains UK healthcare and life science business leaders, will be visiting Xiamen city on Wednesday.

Sharma reassured Chinese investors that Britain is a good place to do business and remains "very much open for business".

"We have seen growth forecasts for Britain upgraded. We have seen a lot investment across the world flowing into UK, particularly from Asia and China," he said.

The minister has also said there was a wealth of investment and export opportunities for Britain across southern China. He particularly highlighted room for cooperation in health and education.

--IANS

soni/vt