Boris Johnson says his office didn't coddle Chinese developer in London
Boris Johnson rejects allegations that officials linked to his office colluded with company that won lucrative bid to develop Royal Albert Dock
London Mayor Boris Johnson has rejected allegations of overly cosy relations between officials and a Chinese company chosen to run a multibillion-pound development project in London - and also denied any knowledge of claims that the firm that won the contract was involved in forced evictions in Beijing.
An investigation by Britain's Channel 4 News found that Advanced Business Park (ABP), the Beijing-based company selected to develop a 14-hectare complex of offices and shops at the Royal Albert Dock near London City airport, had close links to London & Partners, the official business-promotion company for the capital, which is partly funded by Johnson's mayoral office.
London & Partners was part of the evaluation process for bids by companies seeking to develop the Royal Albert Dock site, which is intended as a commercial centre aimed at Asian businesses.
In March 2012, during the bidding process, Channel 4 News said, the head of London & Partners, Tongbo Liu, left the agency and joined ABP. At the same time, London & Partners was sharing an office in Beijing with ABP.
Channel 4 News said it had seen bid documents detailing the role of London & Partners in the bid, with the agency asked to assess ABP's ability to attract Chinese businesses to the new park.
Separately, the report said, the Chinese-born wife of a junior Home Office minister appeared to have played a role in supporting the bid, while at the same time donating considerable sums to the Conservative party.
The programme said Xuelin Bates, a property developer who married the Tory peer Michael Bates in 2012, had held talks in 2008 with the owner of ABP, Xu Weiping, and made at least one trip to China paid for by the Chinese company.