Top Chinese minister fails to meet Salmond but SNP denies snub

Published on Thursday 9 April 2009 21:34

A SENIOR minister with the Chinese government failed to attend an event with Alex Salmond in Beijing yesterday, as a leading academic warned the Chinese government would be wary of being too enthusiastic with separatist administrations such as the Scottish Government.

The First Minister was due to take part in a public question-and-answer session with Wan Gang, the Chinese minister of science and technology to discuss tie-ups between Scotland and China on renewable energy.

But although Mr Wan was billed to appear, he did not show up and his place as one of the main speakers was taken by Li Junfeng, deputy director of a government agency on energy research.

The was no suggestion from the Chinese that Mr Wan had pulled out of the meeting because Mr Salmond represented a separatist administration, but one leading academic stressed yesterday that the Chinese authorities would be wary of being seen to be too friendly with a separatist government.

Willy Lam, a professor at Hong Kong's Chinese University, said: "Beijing's relations with the UK in general are very good, partly given the fact that when (president] Hu Jintao was in London for the G20 meeting, he was given VIP treatment.

"You can see in photographs he was shown standing next to the Queen and in some shown standing next to Gordon Brown. Even (US president Barack] Obama wasn't given this placement.

"I imagine Beijing would not play up the fact that this leader who is visiting is advocating separatist sentiments, because that might prove embarrassing."

A spokesman for Mr Salmond later said the First Minister had met the people he had both hoped and needed to.

The spokesman said: "We've had an excellent reception and we have exactly the events and exactly the meetings that reflect our mission, between Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing."

He added: "We're here to do business, frankly, and we've done excellent business and supported a range of Scottish industries across the board."

However, it has become clear over the course of two Scottish ministerial visits, this one from Mr Salmond and one last month from Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, that the latter has been accorded a higher-profile reception because he represents the UK government.

Mr Murphy met Yang Jiechi, the powerful and influential foreign minister, during his visit while Mr Salmond is only now expected to meet Wang Yong, the minister responsible for administration of quality control, later today.

Academics and experienced observers believe this was a deliberate move by the Chinese government, making sure it did not give higher prominence to the leader of a separatist administration than to a representative of the UK.