The fifth Scottish Export Awards concluded on March 22nd, and exciting trade opportunities between Scotland and China are thriving.

ACOLINK played a key part in organising the Chinese delegation’s attendance to the award event (the honourable guests: Minister Counsellor Jin Xu of the Chinese Embassy, and the Chinese Consulate General in Edinburgh, Mr. Pan Xinchun). And during the event, the delegates proposed serious steps towards the facilitation of trade routes to China’s market.

The Awards

The Scottish Export Awards was a fantastic demonstration of the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that Scottish companies, wanting to export more proactively, have to offer. So we, at ACOLINK, are understandably delighted at the opportunities for new ventures that will surely soon arise.

There were more than 100 export companies (with an export value of £520 million) and over 500 delegates participating in the awards, which was sponsored by HSBC, and supported by the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International (SDI), Scottish Enterprise, and Highlands and Islands Enterprises (HIE).

88 companies entered the awards this year, the highest number of enterprises entering, and 41 were shortlisted for the grand prizes. Within these participating enterprises, some have already entered the Chinese market while others are actively engaging in the initial stages of researching and preparing their strategy plan for exporting to the vast Chinese market.

China Market Appeal

The enthusiasm for the Chinese market was palpable throughout the whole night. Our delegates were an active and lively part of the night. And Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who was in attendance, spoke of her upcoming visit to China in April – reiterating her intention to boost economic and trade investments between China and Scotland.

Mr. Pan Xinchun was invited to present the prize to the winners of the High Growth Market Exporter of The Year award category. Whereas Minister Counsellor Jin Xu, on behalf of the China’s Import Expo Bureau, signed an MOU with Todd & Duncan Ltd for their exhibition at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) – a momentous expo that will be held in Shanghai further this year. Todd & Duncan has 150 years of development history in world-renowned cashmere production in Scotland, and they’ll be amongst the 160,000+ enterprises projected to exhibit at the multi-national CIIE platform.

In her speech, the First Minister underlined the importance of the Chinese market to the Scottish export trade, highlighting that, within the last year alone, Scotland’s exports to China increased by almost 40%.

The Opportunity is Ready

The Scottish Export awards illustrates precisely what ACOLINK believes in and continues to reiterate: the Chinese market is an incredible opportunity for enterprises of all sizes.

The Chinese government has already put in motion several commerce and industry policies (for example: import tariffs, customs) in order to facilitate, accelerate and support their incoming import volume.

As Minister Jin Xu stated during the awards dinner, “The market is ready. The opportunity is ready.”

What remains is for UK companies to seize this opportunity to grow in a fresh, new market. Find out how ACOLINK can help you achieve that.