Swinney defends meeting with controversial Chinese renewables firm

And the First Minister said it would be a "set back" if the investment did not get the go-ahead.

MingYang Power, which is China’s fifth-largest wind turbine producer, announced plans last week for a £1.5bn facility at Ardersier near Inverness, which needs UK Government approval to go ahead.

The UK government is still to make a national security decision over whether to allow China to participate in crucial energy supply chains - and fears around China have been intensifying in the wake of an alleged Westminster spy scandal.

But speaking to LBC from Malawi where he is currently visiting Scottish Government funded aid programmes, Mr Swinney defended his discussions with MingYang.

“They are an investor interested in investing in Scotland, and I think people would be very surprised if the government of Scotland was not talking to investors about the potential to invest in renewable energy technology," he said.

“There is, obviously, a level of interest, and an important interest, in this respect, from a national security perspective, which is the responsibility of the UK government, and the Scottish government will be working in close consultation with them to understand and to consider the issues of national security that are relevant to be addressed in this particular case.”

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MingYang says its investment would create Britain’s first fully integrated offshore wind turbine manufacturing facility, which would provide up to 1,500 new jobs and create an offshore wind hub to serve the UK, European, and other non-Asian markets.

Aman Wang, UK CEO of MingYang Smart Energy has said: “We firmly believe that by moving forward with our plans to create jobs, skills and a supply chain in the UK, we can make this country the global hub for offshore wind technology.

"We fully support the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower, and I’m confident that once the plans are approved we can make a valued contribution to this goal.”

The project is also expected to enable the redeployment of workers previously employed in the oil and gas sector.

However Ian Williams, an expert in Chinese affairs, said the facility in the Highlands would give China “enormous power” over the electricity grid, which could pose “an enormous threat”.

He has revealed that that Zhang Chuanwei, the founder and head of MingYang, is a former soldier and a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and that the company is “massively subsidised” by the Chinese government.

Mr Williams also said that Chinese law means companies are obliged to work with the security services when it comes to issues of national security and espionage.

Asked if he was concerned about national security, Mr Swinney said: “I obviously don't have access to national security information, and I’m dependent on the UK government to provide me with that.

"The Scottish government is doing what we do habitually, which is talk to investors, to ensure that we're looking after the economic well being of the people in Scotland. But there is a national security dimension, and we will, of course, engage in dialogue and are engaged in dialogue with the UK government on those questions of national security.”

He added: “The proposal from Minyang is a very significant investment in Scotland, so, clearly, if that could not go ahead on national security grounds, that would be a setback for the development of renewable energy technology.

“But we have to be recognisant of all of the relevant issues in dealing with investments of this type, and the responsible government behind me will be fully engaged with the UK government on that question, and we await the outcome of the UK government's consideration of this matter.”