Within a few weeks of the launch of Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike in Manchester, United Kingdom, local resident James McConnell had already used the bikes more than a dozen times.

"They are easy to use, great for short distances, and I've never been unable to find a bike when I needed one," said McConnell, 33, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Manchester, who often cycles from the university to other parts of the city.

Mobike's launch of 1,000 bikes in Manchester last month is one example of how China's burgeoning sharing economy is spreading to the UK. Rival bike-sharing company Ofo is making a similar effort in Cambridge.