4. Manchester Airport City

Total investment: 800 million pounds

Timeframe: To be completed in the next 10-15 years

Chinese investors: Beijing Construction Engineering Group International has taken a 20 percent stake in the joint venture and will complete 50 percent of the construction work.

The 800 million pound Airport City Manchester project will be completed over the next 10-15 years and is expected to create more than 16,000 jobs.

Airport City, spread over an area of 465,000 square meters, will include offices, hotels and facilities for advanced manufacturing, logistics and warehousing.

In addition to Beijing Construction Engineering Group's 20 percent stake in the joint venture, other partners include Carillion (20 percent) and the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (10 percent), with Manchester Airport Group holding the remaining 50 percent.

"Airport City Manchester is our first project in the United Kingdom and Europe, but we want to build on its success to win more contracts in the UK and establish a presence here," says Xing Yan, managing director of Beijing Construction Engineering Group International.

"We already have about 25 employees in Manchester preparing for the project, and we'll add more later. The construction work will be done by local workers or employees subcontracted to local construction companies."