That could help to shore up the British capital's status as a global financial center outside the EU. "The two sides will discuss future trade arrangements and push for the conclusion of a China-EU investment agreement," Ma said at a joint news conference. Hammond was accompanied by the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, British financial regulators and an unusually large delegation of businesspeople for such an event. He said a former HSBC Group chairman, Douglas Flint, would serve as the British Treasury's envoy to "Belt and Road." "China and Britain are natural partners in the Belt and Road Initiative," said Ma.

Source: ABC News December 16, 2017 09:33 UTC