On 18 January, Consul General Ma Qiang contributed to the first virtual meeting hosted by Dean Lockhart MSP, Convener of the Cross Party Group in the 6th Scottish Parliament on China. Deputy Convener Colin Smyth MSP, Deputy Leader of the Scottish Labour Party Jackie Baillie MSP, Paul Sweeney MSP and about 30 other representatives from the Scottish business, education and culture sectors joined the meeting.

Dean Lockhart MSP and Consul General both paid tribute to the passing of Alan Brown, Provost of East Dunbartonshire before opening the speech.

Consul General congratulated on the re-registration of the Group after the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. He thanked members of the Group for their continuing effort in promoting relations and understanding between China and Scotland.

Mr. Ma recognized that China and Scotland had been working together to overcome the impact of the Covid and to advance steady development in practical cooperation in various sectors last year. He said that as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations as well as the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Consulate-General of the PRC in Edinburgh, the two sides should take the opportunity to build closer economic ties, jointly pursue green development and further people-to-people exchanges in a bid to bring more benefit to the two peoples. He also highlighted the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, where China would put in place a streamlined, safe and splendid game. He sent his best wishes to all competing Scottish athletes.

Dean Lockhart MSP appreciated the support from the Chinese Consulate-General. He said that the Group would keep seeking to develop a dialogue with China and to increase cultural, educational and economic exchanges between the two sides. Attendees from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, Scotland China Education Network and other organizations shared the common vision to further strengthen their links with China.