China-Scotland ties may help Highlands jig through Brexit
On a recent trip back to Scotland, it soon became apparent the capital’s economy was booming. Tourists from every corner of the world — not least China — flocked to Arthur’s Seat and Calton Hill in Edinburgh over the festive holidays to snap the vistas from the chilly hilltops that offer sweeping views of the city.
From a stroll around the university and surrounding areas, it was clear that growing numbers of Chinese students were opting to move to Scotland, and it was interesting to catch up on some China Daily reports about widening ties between China and Scotland.
According to a story on Feb 27, the number of students from China applying to study at Scottish universities has risen tenfold over the past decade, outstripping other parts of the United Kingdom. Scotland’s 15 institutions now attract a quarter of all Chinese applications to Britain’s 130 universities, reaching 5,370 this year.
Applications to Irish universities have slipped and there has also been a notable fall in numbers from other European countries since the 2016 Brexit vote. In fact, this drop is expected to steepen and presents a major challenge for Scotland and its economy.
While the fall in the pound has undoubtedly made the UK a more appealing destination for foreign visitors, the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Brexit doesn’t seem to have diminished the appetite for Chinese moving to study in Scotland — at least for now.
Other factors behind rising Chinese student numbers may stem from the growing standing of the Scottish education abroad — several prominent Scottish private schools now operate campuses in China — and the number of Confucius Institutes linked to Scottish universities.
In terms of tourism, I was aware that a new direct air route between Beijing and Edinburgh would be a strong driver for growth, and the push by Scottish tourism agencies to attract more visitors from China has been on the agenda for some time. In fact, Chinese visitors spent more than 44 million pounds ($55.7 million) in Scotland in 2017, a rise of 350 percent within a decade, according to data from Visit Scotland.
Scotland’s tourism promotion agency even launched a WeChat app last month targeting Chinese social media users to promote Scotland abroad amid a greater focus on China.
The influence of growing tourism and student numbers can only be a good thing for Scotland, which voted to remain in the European Union but now faces a sharp downturn in inward migration when freedom of movement for EU citizens comes to an end.
Some 235,000 EU citizens currently call Scotland home but this number is predicted to drop.
In fact, in a recent Brexit impact report, the Scottish Center on European Relations cited the demographic toll that a mass exodus of EU citizens from Scotland as potentially catastrophic, as the government seeks to offset the effects of an aging population and tries to stimulate growth in its less-populated northern regions.
Yet, despite the current climate of brinkmanship in British politics and the specter of a “no-deal” Brexit looming large — it seems that Scotland is still sending out the message that it’s “open for business”.
Two recent stories in China Daily seemed to demonstrate that Scotland is doing just that — and with Chinese energy companies as leading partners.
News in February that a consortium led by China National Offshore Oil Corp had discovered huge gas fields off the coast of Scotland that could generate as much as
5 percent of the UK’s annual gas demand were welcomed by regulators.
This comes weeks after China Three Gorges (Europe) invested 35 million pounds in a large Scottish offshore wind farm, Moray East, which will be able to power up to 1 million homes.
Both developments seem to be positive for Scotland’s economy and ongoing trade with China — whatever economic headwinds lie ahead.