UK Sport has signed an agreement with the Chinese government to develop sports exchanges and promote relations between the two countries.

At a ceremony at UK Sport’s London office on 24 April, UK Sport chair, Sue Campbell, met with Duan Shijie – the vice president of China’s General Administration for Sport (GAS) and a member of the Chinese Olympic Committee – to sign documents following on from a Memorandum of Understanding between the two that was signed in 1998.

“We are delighted to deepen our working relationship with the GAS in China,” said Campbell. “As China and the UK are next two host countries of the Olympic Games, it is especially important that we continue to strengthen our relationship as we prepare for the greatest sporting event in the world.”

Action plans will be drawn up each year to share best practice and exchange information and a number of foreign exchanges are planned for 2007, include visits to China by UK Sport’s chief executive, John Steele, and director of elite sport, Liz Nicholl.