THE University of Bolton has been recognised for it strong links with China — one of the world's fastest growing economies.

The 10th Greater China Awards at The Lowry Hotel awarded organisations that have made the most significant contribution to establishing network links with China.

The University of Bolton came runner up in the prestigious prize for the educational award. The university was judged to be second only to the University of Manchester in the North West, beating other finalists including UCLAN, MMU and the University of Chester.

The university was also praised for the progress it had made since 2014, when it received the third prize at the Greater China Awards.

Ben Chen, who leads the international team and Martyn Shaw, Director of Business Development, attended the ceremony.

Mr Shaw said: "The University of Bolton has invested a lot of time and effort in developing links with higher education institutes in China, particularly over the last two years.

"We now have in excess of twenty partnerships in China which are now starting to yield significant benefits in terms of student recruitment, research and commercial opportunities.

"I’m delighted that our small team has managed to achieve runners-up position in the North West region.

"We now look forward to helping businesses in our region to develop and expand links with China through our new Bolton-China Gateway."

The ceremony also included a celebration dinner to welcome in the Chinese Year of the Ram and included a video message from Chancellor George Osborne.

Clive Drinkwater, Regional Director for UK Trade & Investment North West said that North West exports to Greater China topped £2bn in 2013, making it the region's fourth biggest market.

He added that most businesses are aware of the "huge potential" offered in Greater China and that the award recognise those which have done the most to strengthen the links between the regional economy and that of China.