EDINBURGH, Britain, Dec. 5 -- China and Scotland on Tuesday vowed to expand their cooperation in a host of areas ranging from trade and investment to education and culture.

The pledge came as visiting Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong met with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Liu said China is willing to enhance its cooperation with Scotland in areas including trade, investment, culture, education, energy, environmental protection, science and technology as well as innovation.

She said the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has brought new opportunities for the development of Sino-UK relations.

On her part, Sturgeon said Scotland has a time-tested friendship with China and the Asian country's fast development over the past years has provided critical opportunities for the development of Scotland itself.

She said Scotland attaches great importance to the expansion and deepening of its cooperation with China in areas including trade, investment, education and culture.

Liu's four-day trip, which started Monday and will also take her to London and Oxford, coincided with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations.

The centerpiece of the visit is the fifth annual UK-China High-Level People-to-People Dialogue -- the highest level Sino-UK dialogue to be held in Britain this year -- which Liu will jointly chair with British Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt.