"Investing in a SME rather than a larger company can create more jobs and help to foster new industries," he says.

But he also admits that SME investment still carries huge risks, as start-ups traditionally struggle most in their earlier years.

Zhu's plans were first announced during Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to Britain last month.

"We are not going to buy them," Zhu says. "Instead we can provide them with value and the skills they need to break into China.

UK, China to boost SME trade and investment

China, Britain vow to enhance co-op in finance, RMB business

"We will inject capital and provide them with help, and we are looking to support them for years.

"The reason we are targeting SMEs is that big enterprises are not as stretched for capital as smaller ones; they also have narrower scope to grow."

The lure of British technology, he says, remains strong overseas but he recognizes it is a sector that has traditionally found it hard to raise funds.

"It is the smaller laboratories and technology companies who may change our society in future," he says.

Zhu says he is in talks with an environmental protection company whose main activity involves turning waste into renewable energy.

He points to companies in Oxford and Cambridge and other educational centers in the UK as delivering the kind of cutting-edge technology that he and his team can help to develop.

Given the Chinese government's priority of cleaning up its environment, he says that British green energy and sustainable development startups and SMEs are firmly in his sights.

"A lot of the technology being developed is right on the edge of being commercialized, but taking that next step can be difficult for many, given the lack of funding available.

"It is our hope that with our help they can bring their know-how to China, and work with Chinese partners.

"I am sure that once they are settled in China, they will be given the opportunity to grow rapidly," Zhu says.