Beijing Olympics team looks to UK

MONTHS before a javelin is hurled or race run at this summer's Olympics in Greece, China is rolling out the red carpet to try to attract British investment for the 2008 Games.

Liu Zhi, head of foreign investment utilisation and construction for the event, is visiting Britain this week to drum-up interest in the multi-billion pound Games, which officials hope will add further lustre to the country's fast-growing economy.

He and other mainland officials will address an investment conference in Liverpool tomorrow.

'The Olympics is not only a sporting event,' Liu said. 'It is an opportunity to develop the city as a whole.'

Chinese officials said infrastructure, education, finance and tourism contracts were up for grabs, and that British corporates had already shown strong interest in Olympic-related work.

The officials said they hoped the high-profile Olympic competition would act as a shop-window for more widespread commercial openings across the world's most populous nation, which also heads the league table for growth in Asia.