North East tech businesses set for China expansion opportunities with new initiative

A new centre focusing on digital business development set to support the growth of UK tech firms into China.

The Centre for UK and China Digital Business Development (UKCN-DBD) has formed as the result of a partnership between Sunderland Software City, University of Sunderland, TusPark UK and a number of Chinese organisations.

The initiative aims to support tech companies with an appetite for expansion to explore opportunities within the Chinese market, as well as break down trade barriers, over the course of five years.

David Dunn, CEO at Sunderland Software City, explained: “China is one of the fastest-growing digital economies in the world, yet it can be daunting for UK companies to enter a brand-new market. There is a lot of untapped potential for UK companies to collaborate, trade, and invest in China.

“We’ve come a long way since our initial partnership with TusPark UK and TusPark Newcastle in 2018, which started with a big vision to create better links between the UK and China.

“It’s fantastic to now see this vision take shape in the form of an official UK-China Centre for Digital Business Development backed by key investors, universities, science parks and innovators across China.”

Prof Yonghong Peng, Professor Data Science at University of Sunderland, added: “It is an excellent time for the development of the Centre for UK-China Digital Business Development to enable the growth of the digital economy across the UK and China.”

“The successful and productive trip of visiting Shenzhen, Xiamen, Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing demonstrated the great welcome and appreciation of Chinese partners to join the development of the UKCN-DBD to further drive the development of the ecosystem for digital growth through the business-university-government partnership.”

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