Key points

  • Scottish exports to China now at highest level since 2020
  • Petroleum and seafood among Scotland’s top exports
  • Beverage exports declined before whisky tariff announcement

Scotland’s exports to China rose by 16.8% to reach £1.78 billion in 2025, while imports rose by 16.3% to £3.46 billion, according to new analysis from the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC).

The 13th edition of CCBC’s Trade Tracker report, published earlier this month, provides an overview of UK-China goods trade in 2025 with breakdowns for the UK’s nations and regions. The report series, launched in 2021, draws on HMRC data compiled by CBBC.

The rise in Scottish exports to their highest level since 2020 was driven by a 38.9% increase in petroleum exports as well as a 42.1% rise in fish and seafood exports, the report notes.

Petroleum exports reached £566 million in 2025, “likely due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, as teapot refineries in China have favoured easier-to-process North Sea crude over sanction-risky Russian oil”.

However, beverage exports fell by 12 per cent “as demand in China weakened and competition with local brands remained fierce” – though the report highlights optimism following China’s January 2026 decision to halve import tariffs on Scotch whisky to 5%.

Across the UK, goods exports to China rose by 8.2% to £23.7 billion, with Scotland accounting for around 8% of the total. Around 55% of UK goods exports to China are to Hong Kong – an important regional trading hub from which many goods are subsequently exported to other markets.

The UK’s top export to China, power-generating machinery and equipment, grew 38.7% to £7.12 billion, while road vehicles fell 24.6% to £2.6 billion.