{"id":13581,"date":"2024-01-29T12:30:09","date_gmt":"2024-01-29T12:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=13581"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:03:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:03:25","slug":"how-can-scottish-consumer-brands-thrive-in-china-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/how-can-scottish-consumer-brands-thrive-in-china-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"How can Scottish consumer brands thrive in China in 2024?"},"content":{"rendered":"

China is an increasingly important market for Scottish products across a range of categories, so how can Scottish brands make the most of the China consumer opportunity in 2024 and beyond?<\/h3>\n

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Since 1996, Scotland\u2019s total exports of goods to China have grown by more than 1,000% to \u00a31 billion per year. In the four quarters leading up to Q2 2023, Scottish exports to China grew 11.6%, nearing the high levels seen in 2017-18. This drive was primarily fuelled by a rise in the export of beverages (+35%), power-generating machinery (+11%) and road vehicles (+338%).<\/p>\n

Chinese consumers already have a voracious appetite for Scottish products and brands, including whisky, textiles and seafood. For example, farmed salmon \u2014 the majority of which is produced in Scotland \u2014 is the UK\u2019s biggest food export, amounting to \u00a3578 million in 2022, and sales to China soared 57% in the first half of 2023.<\/p>\n

Scotland is also a popular destination for Chinese tourists. In 2019, China was Scotland\u2019s fourth largest international source market by tourism expenditure in 2019, and Edinburgh was the UK\u2019s second most-visited city after London. This looks set to continue as we draw away from the pandemic years, especially as direct transport links expand; in late 2023, Hainan Airlines announced<\/a> that it would extend its direct flight between Edinburgh and Beijing, with four flights a week during the peak summer months.<\/p>\n