UK's Brown arrives in Beijing

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, second from left, reviews an honor guard with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, left, during a welcome ceremony in Beijing's Great Hall of the People Friday, Jan. 18, 2008. Brown arrived with a high-profile delegation of business leaders for a visit focused on expanding economic ties between the two countries. (AP Photo/Greg Baker)

BEIJING—British Prime Minister Gordon Brown brought a high-profile delegation of business leaders to China on Friday for a visit focused on expanding economic ties between the countries.

Brown was greeted by Premier Wen Jiabao in a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

He will also discuss climate change issues, the promotion of the English language and women's empowerment issues in his talks with Wen and in a later meeting with President Hu Jintao, British officials said.

China has increasingly become the focus of a charm offensive from Europe and the United States as its explosive growth slows little signs of slowing, despite the headwinds of the global credit crisis.

Along with India, which is a later stop on Brown's whirlwind Asia tour, China's 1.3 billion population includes a rapidly growing consumer market that is increasingly open to foreign investment.

Britain is also interested in a stronger reciprocal relationship. Trade volumes between the countries were expected to reach $40 billion last year and China's $200 billion sovereign wealth fund could offer significant investments for British businesses.

While the United States has been cautious about accepting sovereign wealth funds -- with lawmakers successfully killing off a deal between Dubai Ports World and P&O -- Britain is largely open to such investment, albeit with higher regulatory hurdles in some sectors such as energy and aerospace.

Britain and British companies have strong competition for a slice of each pie.

Part of that was the opening Friday of a London Stock Exchange office in Beijing, stepping up its competition with U.S.-based markets to attract listings from the growing number of Chinese companies that are expanding abroad.

European planemaker Airbus and French state-run nuclear giant Areva SA are still in talks about possible Chinese contracts. As many as 32 nuclear plants are expected to be built by 2020 as it tries to meet surging power demands while cutting emissions and reducing reliance on imported oil.

The summer Olympic Games and the issue of human rights will also be a topic of conversation on Brown's visit.

The Committee to Protect Journalists released a letter it sent to Brown urging him to push China's leaders to allow full media freedom in the run-up to and during the Beijing Olympics in August.