On July 27th，Mr Song Jingwu, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met with Ms Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, and the British Ambassador to China, Ms Barbara Woodward at the CPAFFC.

Vice President Song Jingwu extended warm welcome to Sturgeon and her delegation on behalf of President Li Xiaolin, and briefed her on the activities carried out by the CPAFFC including friendly exchanges with foreign countries, local government cooperation, public diplomacy and charity. He pointed out that the CPAFFC and the Scottish government have kept in close contact and good collaboration, and hoped to continue to build and strengthen the cooperation mechanisms with the British local governments in the future.

Sturgeon thanked the CPAFFC for helping arrange her visit in China, and expressed her appreciation to the CPAFFC in promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges and local government cooperation between China and Scotland. Sturgeon said the two sides share many areas of common interest, and hoped to deepen exchanges and cooperation in the fields of culture, business and trade, innovation, and education through this visit.