Twixt towers of Shenzhen, Edinburgh castle
You thought a kilted businessman in Scotland and a suave entrepreneur in China have nothing in common? Think again
As outlined in the agreement, the Edinburgh-Shenzhen Creative Exchange opened in 2015 to provide incubators and productive spaces in both cities for businesses to explore each other's markets.
In 2019, the two cities officially twinned, something Wilson hailed as "a big step forward". "We felt that the level of activities and cooperation going on wanted a full collaboration and a full partnership, and that's what the sister-city relationship is all about.
"Sometimes you can sign sister-city partnerships, but they don't mean very much because there's nothing behind them. But this is not one of those. This is the one that is built from a solid base … It is very easy to point to the success of the incubators."
By May 2019, the Edinburgh-Shenzhen Creative Exchange had provided 241 companies from both cities with local knowledge, business pitching and matchmaking, and logistical support, in which more than 100 Edinburgh businesses established connections or collaborations with counterparts in Shenzhen.
More than 60 events were hosted in the project's first four years, including investment conferences, promotional campaigns and creative enterprise competitions that awarded winners with free tickets and hotel accommodation in Shenzhen or Edinburgh, along with profile-raising opportunities.
With such a robust platform, business transfers take place with much greater ease, says Liz McAreavey, chief executive of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, which has organized at least three trade missions to Shenzhen.
