Scotland, Northern Ireland hail co-op with China

EDINBURGH - Scottish Parliament Deputy Presiding Officer John Scott on Thursday night hailed the enhanced ties between Scotland and the Chinese side in various sectors including trade, education and culture.

Speaking at the reception at the Chinese Consulate-General in Edinburgh celebrating China National Day, Scott reviewed Scotland's parliamentary exchanges, economic and trade, cultural and education cooperations with China in the past years.

Scottish Minister for External Affairs and International Development Humza Yousaf emphasized the opportunities to expand sectors of cooperations between the two sides, sending best wishes to China on its 65th founding anniversary.

Both Junior Minister Jonathan Bell and Jennifer McCann at the Office of Northern Ireland First Minister and Deputy First Minister hailed the strengthened friendship between the two sides of Northern Ireland and China, as well as the Chinese language mania and the expansion of Confucius classroom hubs in Northern Ireland.

For his part, Chinese Consul General in Edinburgh Pan Xinchun briefed the audience on China's economic and social achievements to become the world's largest goods trading nation in 2013, and the expanding relations between Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Chinese side respectively, noting that a new Chinese Consulate-General is expected to be established in North Ireland.

More than 100 honored guests and celebrities from Scotland and Northern Ireland attended the reception to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on Oct 1, 1949.