---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: London has always been open to trade…"
description: "\"London has always been open to trade, people, ideas. We have to keep that. I want to compete not just with New York, Paris, Berlin... the ten fastest g..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sadiq-khan-3603_berlin_london-has-always-been-open-to-trade-peo_175979.jpg"
---

#  London has always been open to trade, people, ideas. We…

![“London has always been open to trade, people, ideas. We have to keep that. I want to compete not just with New York, Paris, Berlin... the ten fastest growing cities in the world are in China. How do we compete with them? We have to attract investment and we have to compete on skills.” quote by Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sadiq-khan-3603_berlin_london-has-always-been-open-to-trade-peo_175979.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sadiq-khan-3603_berlin_london-has-always-been-open-to-trade-peo_175979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sadiq-khan-3603_berlin_london-has-always-been-open-to-trade-peo_175979.jpg)

> “London has always been open to trade, people, ideas. We have to keep that. I want to compete not just with New York, Paris, Berlin... the ten fastest growing cities in the world are in China. How do we compete with them? We have to attract investment and we have to compete on skills.”

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

London must maintain its openness to trade, people, and ideas to stay competitive, especially against rapidly growing Chinese cities, by attracting investment and nurturing skilled talent.

**In simple terms:** Stay open to trade and ideas to compete globally.

Key Takeaway

Focus on openness, investment, and skill development.

Themes

global competition urban development investment skill development trade China

Mood

optimistic determined

Type

strategic policy

When to use this quote

- city planning
- policy making
- business attraction
- education programs
- international trade fairs

Key Concepts

economic strategy city branding human capital innovation globalization

Questions to Reflect On

- How can London balance openness with affordable living?
- What policies best attract high‑skill talent?

A Different Perspective

Open policies alone may not guarantee competitiveness without addressing infrastructure and affordability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/berlin/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cities in the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-in-the-world/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paris/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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