Despite the difficulties brought by the euro debt crisis, China and the UK have seen a remarkable growth of trade and economic ties in recent years. The mayor of London is in China in a bid to promote the capital's trade with the country, and he has tourism and education high on the agenda.

According to UK government statistics, 104 thousand Chinese tourists visited London last year. That's a 28 percent increase from 2011. The number of Chinese students in London reached 14 thousand, making it the largest international student population in the UK.

China is one of the world's biggest markets for outbound tourism, and visitors from China spend on average 1,680 pounds in Britain per visit. That's almost three times more than a typical American tourist. In 2012, bilateral trade volume between the two countries reached $63 billion, a 7.5 percent increase from 2011.

Meanwhile, the UK was the most popular European destination for Chinese investment. More than $8 billion found its way there from Chinese enterprises, that's more than the total amount from 2009 to 2011.