First Minister keen to explore China’s ‘massive’ potential

A visit to China by First Minister Alex Salmond will be aimed at exploiting that country’s “massive” potential for Scotland, aides said yesterday.

The week-long visit by Mr Salmond and Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop gets under way in Hong Kong today. The visit will then take the ministers and the 10 officials accompanying them to Shanghai on Tuesday and then to Beijing for the remainder of the week.

It follows a visit to China last month by Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy.

A spokesman for Mr Salmond said the Chinese government had invited the first minister some time ago and argued the two visits complemented each other.

He also said Mr Salmond had met Amnesty International and the Scottish Human Rights Commission in advance of the trip to discuss human rights concerns in China and how these could best be expressed.

The trip coincides with the annual Scotland Week events in the US, where the Scottish Government contingent will be led by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Mr Salmond’s spokesman said the China visit was intended to build on existing links in areas such as education, and exploit new opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, golf tourism, life sciences and computer gaming.

Mr Salmond said there was “massive” potential for Scottish companies, universities and colleges to get involved with China.

It will be the 10th Scottish ministerial visit to China since 2004 and follows a trip last year in which Ms Hyslop signed a deal with the Chinese education ministry.

More than 5,000 students from China are now studying in Scotland and each is thought to generate at least £50,000 for the economy during a four-year course.

During the visit, Mr Salmond and Ms Hyslop will try to set up meetings between the Chinese government and bodies such as the Scotch Whisky Association and Scottish Enterprise.