To His Excellency Li Keqiang, Premier of the People’s Republic of China

As Mayor of I wish to offer the warmest possible welcome on behalf of our great city to Premier Li Keqiang. When I visited China last year I was hugely impressed by the dynamism, energy and sheer can do spirit of modern China. The incredible scale and scope of activity taking place was strikingly obvious in the new buildings and regeneration of your great cities. But that physical development was complemented in the attitude of the people I met and the numerous business people I encountered who were overwhelmingly positive about their future and keen to continue to expand their interests across the globe.

It was particularly heartening to hear the confidence of our Chinese partners in London, the British system and their desire to do more here. Chinese investment is already key to major projects in Vauxhall, the Albert Docks and Crystal Palace.

Those projects provide benefits to both our countries and the purpose of my trip to China was to promote the many attractions and incredible opportunities that exist in London. The natural flair, ingenuity and resource of our inhabitants is the envy of the world and our future is in building ever greater partnerships between London and China.

We already have a large Chinese community and 12,000 Chinese students head here every year. But I want people in China to feel London is their number one destination for business, tourism or study and that is why , our promotional agency for London, have representatives in Beijing and Shanghai actively pursuing an expansion of the relationships between our great cities. It is a two way relationship and on my visit last year it was wonderful to see huge buildings designed by British architects, great retailers like Marks & Spencer thronging with shoppers and even people riding bicycles made in Chiswick by Londoners.

I hope you have a tremendous visit to London, please be in no doubt that we wish to build our ties of friendship, and my team would be delighted to assist you in any way possible.

Yours sincerely,

Boris Johnson