Almost half of the goods exported from this country to China in the last quarter were built in the West Midlands, new data reveals.
A total of £1.4 billion worth of goods were shipped from the region to the Far Eastern superpower in the second quarter of the year, while England en masse exported a total of £2.9 billion.
The region saw the level of exports to China rise by 19 per cent compared to the first quarter, while there was a slight fall country-wide.
The West Midlands is the only UK region with a export surplus to China , after that expanded to £1.74 billion last year.
Similarly, exports from the UK fall from £72 billion in the first quarter to £70.8 billion, while exports from the West Midlands crept up to a total of £7.1 billion, from £7 billion in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, the West Midlands exported more than London for a second consecutive quarter. The Post reported in June that the region overtook the capital for the first quarter on record, and that gap widened in the second quarter after exports from London dipped from £6.9 billion to £6.7 billion.
The region also exported more than the East, making it the second largest exporting region behind the South East in the second quarter.
HSBC’s Midlands deputy regional commercial director said: “These are a strong set of figures, which demonstrate the strides West Midlands’ companies have made in establishing their export proposition and taking their goods and services around the globe.
“China is now the region’s largest export partner and it demonstrates how forging links with this expanding economy is driving growth. Although there are obviously some larger businesses in the West Midlands which account for a high proportion of the total export value, we see numerous examples of smaller companies that we work with that have looked beyond the domestic market, particularly to emerging economies.”
