Theresa May Unveils Education Deal at Start of China Visit
Theresa May has announced new education links with China as she arrives for a three-day visit to boost trade and investment after Brexit.
The initiative includes the extension of a Maths teacher exchange programme and a campaign to promote English language learning in China.
The UK prime minister has claimed her visit "will intensify the golden era in UK-China relations".
But she has stressed China must adhere to free and fair trade practices.
In an article for the Financial Times ahead of her arrival, she acknowledged that London and Beijing did not see "eye-to-eye" on a number of issues - and she promised to raise concerns from UK industry about the over-production of steel and the protection of intellectual property against piracy.
'Two great nations'
Other issues likely to be discussed include North Korea and climate change. It is not clear whether they will include human rights in Hong Kong.
Mrs May, who will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, is travelling at the head of a 50-strong business delegation, including BP and Jaguar Land Rover, as well as small firms and universities including Manchester and Liverpool.
Her first stop, Wuhan, in central China, is home to the largest number of students of any city in the world.
The education deal includes:
Extension of a maths teacher exchange programme for a further two years to 2020, enabling around 200 English teachers to visit China
Joint training of pre-school staff in the UK and China
Better information-sharing on vocational education
The launch of an "English is GREAT" campaign to promote English language learning in China
Education deals worth more than £550m, which it is claimed will create 800 jobs in the UK
Mrs May said new agreements signed on her trip would "enable more children and more young people than ever to share their ideas about our two great nations", helping to ensure that "our golden era of co-operation will endure for generations to come".
During the three-day trip, Mrs May is expected to focus on extending existing commercial partnerships rather than scoping out new post-Brexit deals.
She said she expected China to play a "huge role" in the economic development of the world, adding: "I want that future to work for Britain, which is why, during my visit, I'll be deepening co-operation with China on key global and economic issues that are critical to our businesses, to our people, and to what the UK stands for."
She acknowledged that her agenda "will not be delivered in one visit: it must be our shared objective over the coming years".
Source: BBC
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