Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of the autonomous government of Scotland

A somewhat unusual diplomatic exchange took place at the end of July, when Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of the autonomous government of Scotland, visited China, taking in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. This was not a totally new development - Ms Sturgeon's predecessor Alex Salmond visited China four times during his tenure of office - but the reception of the representative of a non-sovereign government required a somewhat unorthodox method of handling. Ms Sturgeon's official host was not the Chinese government, but the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Although Ms Sturgeon's party, the Scottish National Party, was originally aiming at complete Scottish independence from the U.K., this has now been laid aside following a referendum on the subject in September 2014, in which the majority of Scottish voters opted to remain part of the U.K. The central government, however, has promised a considerable expansion of Scottish autonomy as part of the deal whereby Scotland remains in the U.K.

Under the already agreed system of devolution and regional autonomy, defence and foreign policy remain the responsibility of the central government in London, but the promotion of trade, investment and cultural links belong properly to the devolved government, so it was entirely appropriate that Ms Sturgeon should visit China in support of specifically Scottish commercial initiatives.

Scotland is probably best known world-wide for its whiskey, and with the growth of prosperity in China exports of the prestigious premium spirit have grown considerably. However, Ms Sturgeon was keen to broaden the image of Scotland as a commercial partner beyond the traditional specialist areas, salmon fishing being another one.

Scottish universities, like those in China, lay great and increasing importance on technological innovation, and part of her brief was to lay the groundwork for cooperative projects where academics and researchers can complement one another's work.

Scotland is also a major player in the energy industry, with most of the U.K.'s oilfields lying off the Scottish rather than the English coastline. There is an obvious potential synergy here with the offshore expertise developed along the east coast of China. And, as well as direct cooperation in commerce and research, Scotland would very much welcome Chinese direct investment and makes every effort to provide an attractive environment for it.