 Friday, December 2  an early-morning start after a particularly busy week but at least I m flying to Paris from aberdeen, so nearer home. Here I meet up with anne MacColl, chief executive of Scottish Development International, who will be with me throughout the eight-day, four-city visit. From Paris it s on to Beijing. Without doubt, having a direct air link with China would help our ambitions in the Far East.  Saturday, December 3  arrive in Beijing in the morning, when it s still dark outside. I realise I haven t packed my tartan trews for this evening s event, but we manage to get some made up at very short notice   truly you can buy anything in Beijing.  One of my first engagements is an interview with Phoenix TV s anthony Yuen. This interview, on his Meet The Leaders programme, will be broadcast to an audience of 325 million people   an important early opportunity to sell Scotland. On to the St andrew s Day Ball. The new Chieftain of the Caledonian Society is Ewan Smith.  Sunday, December 4  Pandas! The pandas have arrived back home and are already VIPs   Very Important Pandas! I will be passing on all our thanks when I meet Vice Premier Li Keqiang later tomorrow. Two Pandas going to Scotland as one First Minister goes to China seems like quite a good deal. On to the magnificent Eastern Qing tombs which are the final resting place of some of China s best-known emperors   and are now going to be part of the  Scottish 10  digitally scanned sites. They are awe-inspiring.  a long road back due to freezing fog, but later I meet Spirit Empire chairman Ding Wei who has ambitious plans for whisky sales in China.  Monday, December 5  Start with a packed media conference, then on to the grand setting of the Chinese Civil aviation authority. It s good news. We could have that much-needed direct air link sooner rather than later.  The team grab a quick bite of lunch and then on to the Ministry of Culture for the signing of three major cultural agreements sealing links between the two nations. These cultural links are very important to me, and it is great to see them already bearing fruit   an agreement between the Edinburgh International Festival and the China International Culture association, and Historic Scotland digitally mapping the Eastern Qing tombs.  The afternoon brings one of the highlights of the visit, when I meet with Vice Premier Li Keqiang. His warmth towards Scotland is evident and he agrees to take forward further co-operation between Scotland and China.  The day ends with a Scottish cultural reception and the pipes played by our local Chinese piper George   a reminder of how global Scotland s reach is.  Tuesday, December 6  Early start, heading to the Central Party School   training ground for all Chinese Communist party leaders   where I will deliver a keynote speech. Travelling with me is a stunning bronze of adam Smith.  Sculpted by Sandy Stoddart, and gifted by Sir angus Grossart, this I intend to present to the school.  The auditorium is packed and I tell the audience there are lessons to be learned in Scotland and China from Smith s teachings of moral philosophy and economics. He lived at a time when Scotland was leading the world in thinking, innovation and invention   Scottish traits that continue to this day.  I then used his teachings on sympathy, empathy and compassion from The Theory of Moral Sentiments to raise critical issues of human rights and climate justice, referencing the vital ongoing UN climate talks in Durban.  I know that the opportunity to speak to the Central Party School is a great honour and relish every moment. and our statue of adam Smith now stands in the school as a constant reminder.  F ormer UN Human Rights ambassador Mary Robinson and I issue a joint call to the governments at the climate talks for more action on this issue.  Wednesday, December 7  Up early in Beijing to appear on Tuesday evening s BBC Scotland Newsnight programme. Chatted to Glenn Campbell from BBC Scotland who is out in China reporting this week. Beijing station next, then travel by bullet train to Dezhou. an amazing journey and an opportunity to see what high-speed rail could do for Scotland. Today we announce the collaboration between Scotland s world-leading wave and tidal testing hub, the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, with counterparts Ocean University of China, in Shandong Province. I visit the impressive Himin Solar Valley site to show support for potential investment in Scottish research on renewables, and see the worlds greenest hotel the Sun-Moon Mansion.  Back on the train I travel to Jinan and another media conference. Shandong is the second most populous province in China with 94.7 million people. I meet with the Scotland-Shandong working group and sign a renewed Memorandum of Understanding. From Jinan I fly to Shenzhen, the fastest-growing city in all of China.  We have now travelled from the sub-zero temperatures of Beijing to a sub-tropical climate in the south of China   such is the vastness of the country.  Thursday, December 8  Just one day in Shenzhen and we make the most of every minute. We kick off by meeting the Mayor of Shenzhen, Mr Xu Qin, who enthusiastically welcomes an agreement to explore Shenzhen  twinning  with a major Scottish city   and gave his commitment to work together on areas of collaboration in the future. a very productive meeting. It s then on to Huawei industrial base, which has links to Scottish universities. I m a passionate believer in the power of education to bring people together.  It s a huge city. Scottish Development International has targeted Shenzhen as offering the biggest trade and investment opportunity of all of China s 274 provincial cities, so the stakes couldn t be higher   and we are backed in Shenzhen by a 20-strong business delegation from the Scottish Council for Development and Industry. Scotland and Shenzhen have a great future.  I meet with the China Development Bank to push Scotland as an ideal venue for them to invest in. It s then back to the hotel to gather our bags and on again to our last city   Hong Kong.  No-one can stop themselves from looking at the view as we go over the bridge from mainland China and see the iconic city of Hong Kong stretch out before us especially in the dark with the lights glowing ahead.  I m in the hotel for around seven. I speak to the team and catch up with the lunchtime news back home. I m briefed on the gales predicted to batter Scotland and receive regular updates on what s happening back home.  Friday, December 9  Into the studios of the american television network CNBC, where  