London official: UK welcomes investment from CIC

The UK welcomes investment from China Investment Corporation (CIC), said London's City minister Kitty Ussher, echoing previous support issued by a UK treasury minister, the Financial Times reported. Speaking at a conference on financial markets, Ussher acknowledged concerns over how China's sovereign wealth fund operates, but said she wants "to send a strong message today that Britain is open for business to investors from all nationalities." Other European countries such as Germany and France have shied away from investment by CIC on account of the firm's poor transparency and political nature.