Boris trumps PM with visit to China Beijing is demanding a public apology after Mr Cameron last year held talks with the Tibetan spiritual leader. China invested £8billion in Britain last year and there are fears that the dispute could put this at risk. Officials have played down concerns that infrastructure projects including the High Speed 2 rail network and the Government's nuclear programme could miss out on billions of pounds of investment from China as a result of the row. However, Downing Street sources have admitted that they have struggled to confirm meetings with senior figures in the Chinese government as a result of the row. Number 10 has refused to apologise to the Chinese government for meeting with the Dalai Lama. Earlier this week, Downing Street made it clear that ministers "will decide who they meet and where they meet them." Speaking at the Global Investment Conference in London, Mr Johnson, who has been tipped as a successor to Mr Cameron as Tory Leader, stressed that his own relations with China were good. He told delegates that he held talks with Chinese investors today over potential projects in the Royal Docks. Investors from Malaysia and Qatar were already putting money into London, Mr Johnson said. "Though we, like the rest of Europe are suffering from a lack of demand, we are seeing a lot of confidence and investment in London," he said. The Mayor outlined his demands for improving London's economy, including building a new hub airport and keeping taxes low. "We must sort out a visa system that is still holding back too many sectors in our economy, not least higher education," Mr Johnson said. We must be tax competitive - we must have stable and low taxation in London. And we must not continually bash sectors in which we are naturally and historically strong, not least, banking and financial services, which contribute £63 billion in tax to the economy.