British Consulate General in Wuhan
The UK government is in the process of opening a new British Consulate General in the
City of Wuhan. The new consulate will be co-located with small teams from UKTI, the
British Council and CBBC and will work on an overarching theme of sustainable
urbanisation – including regeneration, low carbon, built environment, healthcare, smart
cities and other areas where Manchester has significant expertise.
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province in Central China and has a population of
approximately 10million residents including over a million students. Wuhan’s GDP
growth outpaces the national rate and the city is set to be one of China’s eight
megacities by 2025. The city is in rapid transition with an estimated 10,000
developments currently on site and a new underground line under construction each
year for the next five years.
The Manchester China Forum has been working with the new Consul General Nick
Whittingham for some time to ensure that Manchester is well positioned to take
advantage of the opportunities that might arise from the new consulate. Manchester has
a unique opportunity based on the longstanding sister city relationship between the two
cities - Wuhan and Manchester originally signed a friendship agreement in 1986.
The official opening of the consulate will take place on Thursday 26th March 2015, and
the Leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese will be leading a Manchester
delegation to Wuhan during that week.
We are currently developing a series of activities to take place in Wuhan during the
week of the consulate opening including a trade mission, smart cities project meetings,
and a small cultural programme. If you would be interested in exploring being involved
in
activities
in
Wuhan
in
March,
[email protected]
please
contact
Justine
Royle: