Scots tie Sino knot

The University of Abertay, Dundee is set to build up expertise in doing business with China, just as the World Trade Organisation has decided to grant the country full membership.

Abertay has signed an agreement with Nanchang University in the province of Jiangxi, which has a population of 43 million.

Nicholas Terry, head of the university's Dundee Business School, said the agreement went beyond staff and student exchanges. Its aim was to run tailored, intensive short courses for senior Chinese executives, taught by Scottish academics, who would themselves carry out case studies in Chinese companies.

Professor Terry said: "The challenge is making sure that what we deliver has appropriate content and recognises the political constraints that exist." He said Scottish academics must recognise that business developments take place "in a complex and intricate political environment".

Initial funding will come from the Chinese government and Abertay's Sino-Scottish Institute, set up in 1995 to develop business links.