Links between local businesses and China were formed with a bit of help from a Wanstead councillor.

Cllr Thomas Chan (Con) hosted a chinese trade delegation which brought together overseas business owners with the Redbridge Chamber of Commerce.

Cllr Chan said: “China, under the new administration, has asked industries to go out and invest rather than stay in China and I’ve been approached to give them some contacts. They are people who run enterprise parks and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) much like in Hainault Business Park but they are much bigger in size. We say if you employ under 250 people you are a SME but in the Chinese factories they would employ 3,000 people and say they are SMEs.”

He added: “The point I tried to make between the two partners is that I don’t want anybody from Redbridge thinking ‘we can go over there and manufacture goods cheaply’.”

A chamber spokesman said: “While there have been many delegations in the past this one was different. The members were serious about investing in the UK and particularly in our area.”