Broad horizon seen for ties with Scotland

China and Scotland have enormous scope for cooperation in areas ranging from trade, education and culture to green energy and infrastructure, China's top diplomat in the United Kingdom said.

"The Scottish economy is unique and resources are abundant. During the past two years, cooperation between the two sides has continued to grow, fully demonstrating its strong resilience," Ambassador Zheng Zeguang said recently.

Zheng made the remarks in Edinburgh during the China-Scotland Cooperation Forum, organized by the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK, or CCCUK, and the China-Britain Business Council, or CBBC, with the aim of enhancing business ties between the two nations.

During the 50 years since the establishment of China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations, Zheng said, China and Scotland have seen fruitful cooperation in the economic and trade spheres. He urged Chinese and Scottish companies to seize the opportunities and strengthen their confidence in future prospects, so as to create more trade opportunities and a broader space for investment.

While encouraging Scottish and Chinese companies to expand cooperation, the ambassador said: "They should focus on green and low-carbon development, build on existing partnerships in areas of wind power and electric vehicles and strengthen cooperation in low-carbon technologies, energy storage, new energy, climate investment and financing and green finance."

Sherard Cowper-Coles, chair of the CBBC, said Scottish exports to China have been growing rapidly, reaching 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) today, up from 113 million pounds in 1996, an increase of 1,000 percent.

Fang Wenjian, chairman of the CCCUK, said Chinese enterprises are actively contributing to local employment, and that the number of Chinese companies in Scotland with an annual turnover exceeding 5 million pounds is now 14.

"These large companies not only pay considerable amounts of tax each year, but also continue to play an important role in providing local employment opportunities in Scotland," Fang added.

One noticeable trend in Chinese investment in Scotland is a shift from traditional areas to more diverse sectors, expanding from fields such as finance, energy, and manufacturing to renewable energy, food and beverages, cultural and education, technology, and tourism, Fang said.

Key area

Graeme White, global head of inward investment, strategy and new investment at Scottish Development International, pointed out a key area in which Chinese companies are already involved－Scotland's journey to net-zero carbon emissions.

The Scottish government has shown leadership in setting world-leading targets, including 50 percent of Scotland's total energy demand (electricity, heat and transport) to be supplied by renewable sources by 2030, net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, and 75 percent emissions reduction by 2030.

In a broader scope, the European Union reached a deal backing stricter climate rules that would eliminate carbon emissions from new cars by 2035 on Wednesday, a move that will further boost confidence in the continent's green target.

The 27 members found a common agreement on draft legislation aimed at slashing EU greenhouse gases by at least 55 percent in 2030 compared with 1990 rather than by a previously agreed 40 percent.

Agencies contributed to this story.