THE MAYOR of Greater Manchester has pointed to China's rail services to emphasise the work he hopes to do in the region.

Andy Burnham has been on a trade mission to Asia as part of efforts to establish links between Greater Manchester, Beijing and Tianjin.

During the trip, which runs from September 17 to 20, the mayor travelled on the world's fastest passenger train, which runs between the two giant Chinese cities.

Burnham, said: “Experiencing train travel in China emphasised what is possible when ambitious technology, infrastructure investment and innovation is married with sensible regulation. Imagine travelling more than 70 miles on a super-fast service in exactly the same time it takes to catch a rattling Northern train just eight miles from Altrincham to Manchester. It re-enforced to me the scale of the challenge we face in Greater Manchester to improve the railways so that they work for everyone.

“Railway passengers in the North of England deserve a service every bit as clean, comfortable and reliable as those travelling in Northern China.”

Mr Burnham's trip from Beijing to Tianjin involved a new 73 mile high-speed line that has reduced travel time between the two largest cities in Northern China from 70 to 30 minutes.

The visit looks to build new partnerships with the most populous country in the world, aiming to expand on the £5 billion of investment that has come to the region from China since 2013.

Mr Burnham added: “The future of a global world is one of cities working together across borders and seas and making the difference – centralised power is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

“Greater Manchester has long recognised the strategic importance of forging closer ties with China, given its general growth trajectory, rising appetite for investment in the West and synergies with key sectors we are trying to develop in our city-region.

“Stronger international city-to-city ties will not only allow us to share our experiences and best practices, but more importantly to work collaboratively across industry, academia and policy in shaping the solutions for tomorrow’s world.”