China is on course to invest ￡105bn in British infrastructure by 2025, with energy, real estate and transport the -biggest recipients, according to comprehensive research.

The world’s second-biggest economy has already invested ￡11.7bn in Britain between 2005 and 2013, including the 10 per cent stake in Thames Water, Britain’s biggest water utility, held by the China Investment Corporation, the sovereign wealth fund.

But this is expected to rise rapidly as Chinese capital seeks a safe haven for outbound investment, according to the report by the Centre for Economic and Business Research and Pinsent Masons, the law firm, which is due to be launched by the Chinese International Contractors Association in Beijing next month. Richard Laudy, partner at Pinsent Masons, described the prospect as a “game-changer” for the UK. “We expect this to be the beginning of a major trend as a trickle of Chinese investment turns into a wave over the coming decade,” he said.