A SPOKESMAN for the Chinese trade delegation handling the purchase of the former Renault building told the Evening Advertiser: "We're just delighted to be in Swindon and talking to you."

The feeling could not be more mutual.

With names such as Motorola, Cellular Operations, EMI and several others still capable of sending a shiver down many a Swindon spine, it's nice to be able to report the creation of jobs rather than the opposite.

And according to the delegation, those jobs will probably be numbered in the thousands.

As we explain today, the former Renault premises will become the European headquarters of hundreds of Chinese firms, all eager to bring their products to a wider market.

This is good news for Swindon as a whole, as it will replenish the morale lost during the recent series of job losses among various firms in the town.

It is also good news for the people of Swindon, as it gives them the chance to demonstrate the qualities which turned this town into a hi-tech powerhouse.

But let us not forget that choosing Swindon is good news for China.

What impeccable taste . . .