McConnell to promote finance sector in China

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, May 9, 2004 | by Douglas Fraser

Jack McConnell is heading to China in a drive to champion the Scottish financial services sector in the fast-growing Asian giant.

The First Minister is drawing up plans for a visit, expected to take place in autumn, which would support Scottish Enterprise's newly opened Shanghai office and also seek out manufacturing links between Scottish industry and the burgeoning Chinese export-led sector.

His visit follows on from a deal signed with Chinese authorities for the Scottish Qualifications Authority to provide Higher National Diploma qualifications for a pilot of 500 students at 16 Chinese universities. They will be in business, computing, hospitality, tourism and finance.

The students will be able to use the qualifications to apply to Scottish universities. Chinese students already form the largest group of non-EU students in Scottish higher education. Higher education minister Lewis Macdonald visited Beijing in February to open the SQA office there.

"There are growing opportunities in China and the time is right to make that link at First Minister level," said an Executive source. Since becoming First Minister, McConnell's only overseas visits, outside Europe, have been to Tartan Week in the US and to South Africa for the Earth Summit in 2002.