Awards to celebrate Sino-Scottish ties

Scotland's only China-focused business awards are set to return for their fourth year in 2021, recognizing and celebrating achievements in trade and investment between the two nations, with an award for climate action to be included for the first time.

The 2021 China-Scotland Business Awards will be streamed live from the Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh on Feb 4. The virtual event is expected to incorporate elements of traditional and contemporary Chinese and Scottish entertainment, including a newly-commissioned collaborative piece of musical fusion.

James Brodie, commercial director of industrial economy at the China-Britain Business Council, said: "A particular highlight this year is the introduction of our award for climate action. With particular attention paid to Scotland as (the United Nations Climate Change Conference) COP26 comes to Glasgow in November, we hope the new award for climate action goes some way to represent and reward the work that's being done by Scottish and Chinese businesses to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

"We will continue to celebrate such collaboration throughout 2021 and during COP26 in Glasgow itself, and look forward to further investment from China in this crucial area for Scottish businesses looking to the future."

A recent report by Cambridge Economics on jobs in the United Kingdom that are dependent on links with China demonstrates how that trade is influencing the lives and livelihoods of people in Scotland.

In all, Scotland's economic ties with China support up to 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs. The findings show the bulk of those jobs, some 5,000 to 7,000, are tied to trade in goods.

Certain sectors of Scotland's economy in which relations with China have thrived in recent years, such as travel and hospitality, have been particularly hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wilson Barrie, China market business advisor at the China-Britain Business Council, said: "As the links that have been developed between Scotland and China are diverse and on solid foundations, I believe strongly they will prosper once again in the wake of the pandemic.

"Given how fast the Chinese economy itself has rebounded, ahead of many other economies, Scotland will be well placed to leverage these existing ties as it embarks upon its own economic recovery."

Despite the obvious challenges, Brodie said Scottish companies have been working hard during the past year to forge business partnerships with China and deliver commercial success.

China, the world's largest spirits market, has now become an important emerging market for the Scotch whisky industry. The value of direct exports of Scotch whisky to the country has grown from less than 10 million pounds ($13.6 million) in the early 2000s to around 89 million pounds in 2019, with much more potential to grow, according to the Scotch Whisky Association.

China is also one of the world's top three markets for Scottish salmon, totalling nearly 60 million pounds of exports in 2019.

"The China-Scotland Business Awards provide an opportunity to recognize their innovation, effort and commitment and celebrate their outstanding successes," Brodie said. "In doing so, the awards also serve to showcase the best Scotland has to offer and to encourage other businesses and organizations to look to China as an opportunity."

This year's awards include: exporter of the year, educational partnership of the year, Chinese investor of the year, entrepreneur of the year, and award for climate action. However, due to the restrictions on travel, the China welcome of the year award has been put on hold.