Lord James Sassoon, chairman of the China-Britain Business Council, said he expects trade and investment links between China and the United Kingdom to strengthen, as China is in the process of developing many industries the UK has an advantage in.

Sassoon, the 57-year-old former British minister, said this is particularly true of "invisible" sectors like financial services, design, engineering, legal services, architecture, healthcare and education.

"The UK has great expertise in invisibles. As China moves increasingly towards a consumer-based society, this will match up with what the UK has to offer," said Sassoon.