On the 1 December 2022, we held our first SCEN Lecture in over three years, with speaker Martin McDermott reflecting on five years of representing the Scottish Government at the British Embassy in Beijing.

Martin gave an insightful and eloquent lecture, discussing the many tensions and challenges in the current relationship with China (following the “golden era” in the previous decade), but also pointed to many signs of hope for the future. Most notably in the engagement of young people both in China and in Scotland, reflecting on the successes seen “when we enable young people to develop language skills and give them opportunities to be our ambassadors in China.” After his lecture, Martin engaged with the audience who posed many questions about Martin’s experiences, and also hopes for the future.

It was wonderful to see so many familiar and new faces in person at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and we hope to see you all in the New Year for more engaging and thought-provoking discussions. Thank you to all who attended!

The audio recording of the lecture is available to listen to below: