a WINTRY Watford seemed an unlikely place for a spot of glad-handing when the man tipped to become China's next premier visited the UK earlier this year. However, Li Keqiang (pronounced "Lee Ker-chang") was there to see the UK's pioneering Building Research Establishment (BRE). as the man about to become second-in-command of a nation that plans to build the equivalent of a new Chicago every year until 2030, Mr Li didn't have to feign interest as he inspected a zero-carbon home, a house built from recycled steel, and a modernised Victorian stable block. In the next 20 years, China plans to urbanise as many as 300m of its rural people, driving a near-insatiable demand for energy and materials. Fast-forward six months and BRE was signed up by the Chinese to create a ?100m, 4.8m sq ft innovation park along similar lines in Beijing, together with Vanke, China's largest property developer. The Chinese park aims to adapt BRE's research for the skyscrapers and climate variations of the Chinese market. "Britain is arguably leading the world i