MORE than 1,000 jobs could be coming to the county on the back of a major development involving China.

Thanet firm Commercial Group Properties has agreed a 10-year lease on a 1,000,000sq ft development at its Manston International Business Park, which will see a host of Chinese businesses setting up on the site.

The deal is with the Beijing Association of SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) and surety is provided by Chinamex, an arm of the Chinese government.

CGP chief Ken Wills said: "This is big news for Thanet. Because China is turning a Communist society into a capitalist one, there has been a huge amount of privatisation and it has a huge trade surplus.

"With tax and export regulations increasing they know the world trade market is closing around them so they are moving more and more business overseas."

Leader of Thanet council Sandy Ezekiel said: "It is great to see international companies wanting to come here and we will work with them."

* See the Thanet Extra (Friday, May 25) for more details on this exclusive story.