Walk around the University of Manchester and it won't be long before you run into a Chinese student. The city's become a magnet for them in recent years, with one in 8 pupils on this campus now from China. So, what is it that's attracting so many of them to Northern England?

For starters, there has been a sharp rise in the number of Chinese looking to study in the UK this year. According to UK admissions service UCAS, there were 19,760 applications from students in the country to start an undergraduate course this academic year. That's up from 15,240 in 2018 – a rise of 30 percent.

One factor that's driven the increase is the US-China trade war. The recent hostility between the two countries has seen fewer Chinese apply to study in the US and the UK is a natural choice for those looking elsewhere, according to Peter Gries, director of the Manchester China Institute, which was set up to promote ties between the two locations.

"I think so far, things have been largely positive. We've avoided in the UK some of the incidents that have plagued relations with the US and Australia. But we want to avoid going in that direction."

There are more specific reasons for why students are choosing Manchester. The university is now one of the largest in the UK, with more than 40,000 students in total and it regularly features in the top 100 institutions worldwide in major rankings. A university spokesperson told CGTN it has actively sought to boost numbers from China.

"Another important thing for us was the visit to Manchester of President Xi in 2015, when he came to see our National Graphene Institute and that led to a huge influx of Chinese visitors to the city and to the university," said Stephen Flint, associate vice president for internationalization at the University of Manchester.

On that visit, President Xi also visited English soccer team Manchester City. And with the club's fierce local rivals Manchester United being one of the most popular clubs in the world, the sport has helped put the city on the map in China.

But there are some challenges to the huge influx of Chinese people, mainly around integration. Boqiang Jin, a student from Shanghai CGTN met at the university's library told us he often prefers playing video games and staying in, whereas most of his Western friends choose to socialize in pubs.

"It's definitely a challenge," said Gries. "It's something that we actively work to try to break down, to ensure there's more communication and understanding between both sides."

Education is big business in the UK, with international students adding around $30 billion to the country's economy in 2017, according to trade body Universities UK. As Britain prepares to leave the European Union, nations outside the bloc could become even more important financially.

China is the biggest source market by some distance – providing almost one in three foreign students in first-year courses, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency. And with universities up and down the UK sensing an opportunity, it is a relationship that could strengthen further.