Chinese Vice-President on China-Scottish TiesVisiting Chinese Vice-President Hu Jintao said Wednesday in Edinburgh that he believed the broad prospect of China-UK relations will provide more opportunities for friendly cooperation between China and Scotland.At a banquet hosted in his honor by Scotland's First Minister Henrry McLeish who expressed his warm welcome to Hu's visit, the Chinese vice-president said there are still great potentials for mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Scotland. He added he was convinced that with joint efforts, China-Scottish friendly relations and cooperation will bear more fruits. Hu said he noted that in recent years, along with the sound development of Sino-UK relations, the friendly exchanges between China and Scotland have become even closer. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the economic, trade, education and cultural fields have been intensified, with the pioneering Scottish entrepreneurs coming to China one after another to explore business opportunities. He added that quite a few universities and colleges in Scotland have set up ties with their Chinese counterparts. In 1999, the Royal Botanical Garden of Edinburgh participated in Expo'99 in Kunming, China, bringing with it the exquisite Scottish gardening, which was well received in China. Edinburgh and several other cities of Scotland have also established sister relations with Xi'an and three other Chinese cities. "All this has played an important role in promoting and deepening mutual understanding and furthering friendship between the Chinese and Scottish people," Hu said. The Chinese vice-president arrived in Edinburgh on Wednesday to continue his five-day official visit to Britain. He will leave here for France on Thursday. |
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