The UK Garden and Pavilion at the Beijing Expo 2019 – the largest horticultural exhibition in the world – has been unveiled today.

Christina Scott, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy Beijing, and Richard Burn, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for China announced the opening in the afternoon of April 29.

There is also a five-month programme of activities, which has been developed with key partners, including the British Council and Visit Britain and focuses on innovation in environmental management and building trade relationships.

Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy Beijing, Christina Scott said:

Our garden is a vibrant celebration of British horticultural heritage and creativity. We are delighted to be sharing it with all the visitors here at the Beijing Expo. I hope they will be inspired by our exciting programme that includes the best of Britain in film, sport, television, and music.

The UK is a leader in innovation and sustainable development. Our theme of ‘Innovation for a Greener Future’ celebrates the UK’s strengths when tackling developmental challenges. This is why our Expo programming is built around topics such as clean energy, environmental protection, and green finance.

Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for China Richard Burn added:

The Expo will be a significant moment for UK-China relations and a chance to celebrate this blossoming trade relationship. I hope that the UK Garden will not only demonstrate our nation’s expertise in horticulture, but also help promote sustainable development in China and prosperity for both countries.

Beginning with a showcase of UK gin hosted by the Food is GREAT campaign, the events programme will culminate in a ‘National Day’ celebration on September 17. Other key events include a green-themed ‘Children’s Education Day’ hosted by the China National Children’s Centre on June 1 (National Children’s Day) and others themed around agritech and new technologies. Seminars, exhibitions and discussions will be focussed around major environmental global challenges and the sharing of best practice in sustainable solutions.

Garden and Pavilion

The UK Garden and Pavilion, which celebrates the theme “Innovating for a Greener Future”, is being led by the DIT, working with a consortium of architectural and design companies led by M-Integrated Solutions, with horticultural expertise from Briony Doubleday, Bees’ Gardens and design support from David Morley Architects.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP said:

Our bilateral trade relationship with China is stronger than ever, with our total trade between the UK and China at £68.5 billion in the year to December 2018. The Beijing expo is an opportunity to celebrate this relationship.

I often repeat the fact the IMF estimates, between 2019 and 2023, 90% of global economic growth will originate from outside the European Union, and I’m delighted that my international economic department is ensuring the UK can take full advantage of the opportunities offered.

The UK Garden spans health, personal and urban spaces, bio-diversity, UK heritage and art.

Visitors will learn how herbs and flowers can be used in everyday food and drink. They’ll also be shown how urban space can be transformed into areas of cultivation and play by bringing the natural world into the city and inspiring people to live more sustainable lives. This will include how to reuse, refresh or recycle their products.

A meadow will showcase the importance of animal pollinators, particularly the honey bee, while bringing to the fore the challenges facing our meadows in the UK.

Also featured will be installations by sculptor Rob Mulholland, using a variety of different materials and forms to show the delicate relationship between humans and the natural world.

The Expo will take place just outside Beijing, part of a cluster of developments alongside the Great Wall, and the site of the Beijing Winter Olympics. It will showcase gardens and pavilions from 110 countries and international organisations under the theme “Live Green, Live Better”.

Major UK businesses will also be in attendance and the event will be a valuable platform for the UK to build pan-China political and trade relationships.

China is an important trading partner for the UK and represents a significant future trading opportunity, statistics show by 2030 Asia will represent 66% of the global middle-class population and 59% of middle-class consumption, highlighting the need for the UK to invest in its relationship.

According to research by Barclays, around 60% of people in China would actually pay more for a product, just because they knew it was British, and at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai in August 2018, British firms signed deals worth more than £2 billion, emphasising the global appetite for the UK’s goods and services.

The Department for Transport has today (29 April 2019) informed industry that drivers who hold a category B driving licence are now able to operate alternatively fuelled vans, provided they complete a minimum of 5 hours additional relevant training.

The new law comes as part of the government’s commitment to encourage the transition to ultra-low emission vehicles, as set out in the Road to Zero Strategy.

Future of Mobility Minister Jesse Norman said:

The government’s Road to Zero Strategy sets out our ambition for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040.

By changing these driving licence requirements, we are seeking to support business owners by enabling them to use alternatively fuelled vehicles more easily.

• New £4m programme for English language teaching in sub-Saharan Africa
• Jeremy Hunt announces £750m to support UK trade and investment in Senegal
• Delivering on PM’s pledge for the UK to be the G7’s number one investor in Africa by 2022

On the first visit by a UK Foreign Secretary to Senegal in nearly two decades, Jeremy Hunt will champion a new UK diplomatic push across the continent, including Francophone countries where Britain has traditionally played a smaller role.

Speaking on the first leg of a week-long trip, his first to Africa as Foreign Secretary, that will take in five countries – Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya – the Foreign Secretary will make the case for new UK partnerships across the continent.

Alongside a major increase in our diplomatic presence in Francophone Africa, including new Embassies in Niger and Chad, an important part of this work will be the roll-out of English language support across Francophone Africa. The UK will fund a new £4 million English language programme in French and Portuguese speaking countries across Africa.

Jeremy Hunt will officially launch the ‘English Connects’ programme at the Université Virtuelle du Sénégal in Dakar. Over the next two years, the programme will support the teaching and learning of English in sub-Saharan Africa countries where English is not widely spoken, with an emphasis on online learning. This British Council programme aims to reach 7.5 million young people each year.

The programme responds to the enormous appetite from young people across Africa to learn English to fulfil their potential. At the same time, it will connect the UK to African youth and future generations of leaders.

The Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said:

Africa is a continent growing at an extraordinary rate, full of transformative potential. In a future where Britain is no longer a member of the EU, I want us to work within and alongside African nations to make sure, together, we combat the threats we all face, and capitalise on the opportunities open to people wherever they live. To do this, I want to set out the stall for the UK to be the new partner of choice across Africa.

I know from personal experience that learning languages opens up new worlds of possibility for young people. There is an enormous appetite from young people across Africa to learn our language because English is the language of opportunity. That’s why we are providing new funding for English teaching to help many more young people access the possibilities that our language opens up, from London’s financial powerhouse to our world renowned arts and culture.

Moses Anibaba, the British Council’s Regional Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, said:

The British Council is delighted that the Foreign Secretary will launch English Connects in Senegal. I cannot think of a better time for the UK and Africa to be forging new connections based on mutual interest and prospects. English Connects is a groundbreaking, innovative programme that responds to the high demand for English in Non-Anglophone countries in Africa, and helps fulfil the aspirations and potential of young Africans.

The Foreign Secretary will also announce an agreement between the two governments, committing to strengthening trade and economic co-operation with up to £750 million available from UK Export Finance to support UK companies trading with Senegal and their Senegalese buyers. British investment in Senegal has grown significantly in recent years in oil and gas, renewable energy, mining and agriculture. BP is leading development of Senegal’s recently discovered offshore gas fields.

He will see first-hand the work of the Royal Marines who are helping Senegal’s naval special forces to build a capability that will protect the country’s new offshore oil and gas installations, including those being built by British companies BP and Cairn Energy.

The Foreign Secretary’s visit follows the announcement last year that Britain will open new embassies in Niger and Chad, and expand our footprint in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Mauritania. This is part of a real increase in UK engagement and presence in the region and boosting trade between the UK and African countries, while helping address security problems in the Sahel and stepping up development work across the region.

Further information

The projects are being funded with a share of £5m from the UK Space Agency to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS.

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said:

It’s incredible that artificial intelligence technology that was first developed decades ago and is being used to examine distant planets, will now help detect some of the hardest to treat cancers at their earliest stages.

With bowel cancer the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths, this kind of innovation will be crucial in helping the NHS prevent more than 20,000 cancer-related deaths a year by 2033 – a key aim of our modern Industrial Strategy.

Early diAgnosis Real-Time Healthcare System for CANcer (EARTH SCAN) from Odin Vision, a University College London (UCL) spinout

Thanks to a £1 million grant, space technology could improve early detection and diagnosis of bowel cancer through a revolutionary artificial intelligence (AI) system developed by Odin Vision and UCL researchers that identifies and characterises polyps by analysing live colonoscopy video, leading to early treatment and saved lives.

Controlling a spacecraft millions of miles away requires a reliable, as well as fast data connection. In a similar way doctors using technology to diagnose cancer depend on data reliability and not just speed.

The EARTH SCAN project will use secure, high speed satellite communications combined with bespoke data compression software, which is normally used for operating space missions. The project will create a cloud-based AI system that can support doctors when identifying cancer in patients.

Through the use of this space technology, the system can be deployed reliably anywhere on Earth, giving patients a consistent, high level of care.

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in the UK and detecting it using traditional colonoscopy methods can be challenging for doctors. With a survival rate of 90% through early diagnosis, new ways of identifying and diagnosing cancerous growths sooner are vital.

Peter Mountney, Odin Vision, Early diAgnosis Real-Time Healthcare System for CANcer (EARTH SCAN) project said:

We are moving into a new era of healthcare where Artificial Intelligence (AI) will support doctors to identify and diagnose cancer faster and more effectively.

The EARTH SCAN project is an exciting opportunity to use satellite technology to bring this AI support to doctors in real time. Real time support means doctors can make immediate decisions regarding treatment and patients can receive the results of their scan straight away instead of waiting weeks.

Personalised Space Technology Exercise Platform (P-STEP) from the University of Leicester

Exercise is recognised as a miracle drug for health, however judging the right exercise for sufferers of long-term health conditions like asthma can be challenging due to conflicting advice and exposure to air pollution.

Thanks to £2 million funding the University of Leicester will develop a new mobile application that uses data from Earth Observation satellites that can map pollution hotspots in towns and cities. It combines this with AI to provide personalised exercise routes that take into account any medical conditions the user suffers from which could be exacerbated by pollution, such as asthma. Pollution warnings are then generated at the local level to within 10 metres.

One of the main satellites used is Sentinel 5P which was built by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, UK, and launched in October 2017.

Professor Andre Ng, University of Leicester, ‘Personalised Space Technology Exercise Platform’ (P-STEP) project said:

Whilst we know physical activity is good for many patients with long term conditions including heart and lung diseases, clinicians are often anxious about recommending exercise and often unable to prescribe accurate and effective exercise for their patients. We are really pleased to have been given the NHS/UK Space Agency award, which enables us to harness our expertise in Space, Health and Environment sciences here at Leicester.

We will develop a patient-centred mobile app that takes in satellite data with unique resolution including that of air quality that delivers precise guideline-based exercise advice tailored to their condition and ability. This greatly enhances the confidence of both healthcare professionals to prescribe and patients to put into practice, effective physical activity which improves well-being and reduces healthcare utilisation.

The projects are being funded by the UK Space Agency in partnership with NHS England and the European Space Agency (ESA). In June 2018 innovators were asked to bid for a share of £5 million to turn technology originally designed for space into medical applications that improve NHS treatment and care.

These projects will help to address the key NHS 70th Anniversary Challenges of managing Long Term conditions (LTC) including joined up health and care services, transforming GP services and other primary care and meeting mental health needs.

Emily Gravestock, Head of Applications. UK Space Agency said:

The demanding environment of space presents challenges which our world-leading engineers and experts meet with creative ideas like these solutions for the NHS.

Supported by the Industrial Strategy, the UK is a global leader in using space technologies to save lives and enhance quality of life back on Earth.

Professor Tony Young, NHS England’s national clinical director for innovation, said:

The NHS has a long and impressive track record of world class innovation that improves patient care – from hip replacements to vaccines, medical scans to organ transplants and now genomics.

The NHS is open to innovations from any industry, anywhere in the world – or even out of this world – if they can improve the care we provide to patients and help us to deliver our Long Term Plan to save half a million more lives.

The Personalised Space Technology Exercise Platform and EARTH SCAN projects are two projects receiving a share of a £5 million innovation fund drawn from ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions programme, to which the UK is the largest subscriber.

On April 8 £1 million was also awarded to Adaptix to develop a portable 3D X-ray scanner, which could also revolutionise cancer diagnosis. Support for a fourth project will be announced in due course.

A report by the UK Space Agency in March this year, revealed that for every £1 of public money spent in the space industry produces £4 in value for the recipients in the space industry, with additional benefits to the UK economy.

Tonight [Sunday 28 April] Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell, welcomed the launch of the new Caledonian Sleeper service at Central Station in Glasgow. The UK Government contributed £50 million to the replacement of the Caledonian Sleeper fleet to improve on-train facilities.

Welcoming the news, Mr Mundell said:

It is fantastic to see the launch of the new Caledonian Sleeper service. The UK Government has invested £50 million in the new fleet, improving vital connectivity between Scotland and England, and improving the service for the thousands of passengers.

I am pleased to travel on their debut journey and look forward to using this service for years to come.

The investment highlights the UK Government’s commitment to invest in infrastructure benefitting the whole of the UK, safeguarding a prominent economic link between Scotland and England.

The launch event marks the public introduction of the new carriages on the “Lowlander Service” between London Euston and Glasgow Central or Edinburgh Waverley.

This will be followed by the introduction on the “Highlander” route between London and Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William in the coming weeks.