Seven IT companies join PM in China

Freer exports of products and services could be worth billions, says Cameron

Seven IT company leaders are among the 86-strong business delegation accompanying David Cameron on a three-day trade mission to China this week.

They include Alastair Lukies from m-payments specialist Monitise; Victor Zhang, for networking vendor Huawei; Dido Harding from telecoms provider Talk Talk; David Dunn of developer group Sunderland Software City; Matt Atkins from aircraft IT specialist Gen2Systems; Zoe Cunningham from ISV Softwire; and Nigel Toon from semiconductor company XMOS.

Many of the companies attending, across all industries, are large multinationals - but there is a sprinkling of smaller, independent UK-based firms, especially in the software development area.

The purpose of the visit is to meet China's president Xi Jinping and premier Li Keqiang, as well as meet with students and investors and showcase British businesses.

According to the prime minister's office, a key reason for the tour, which also includes a number of ministers, is to negotiate a free trade deal between the UK and China.

"Britain is uniquely placed to make the case for deepening the European Union's trade and investment relationship with China," Cameron said in an interview to the Chinese press.

"And as I have on the EU-US deal, so I will put my full political weight behind such a deal, which could be worth tens of billions of dollars every year."