A Scottish Government minister has been criticised by the Scottish Greens for failing to raise China's record on human rights with officials from the country.

Nine representatives from the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government met with external affairs minister Fiona Hyslop at the Scottish Parliament in September last year.

Minutes of the meeting were obtained by STV News through a freedom of information request.

During the meeting Hylop and the Chinese delegation discussed golf, electric cars, an investment exhibition in the region and Brexit.

Green MSP Ross Greer said developing economic ties around the world should not take place "at the expense of a persecuted people".

He said: "To see Scottish ministers happily discussing golf courses with the Chinese government without raising human rights abuses will turn many people's stomachs.

"This is the world's largest abuser of the rights of women, of minority ethnic and religious groups, of political opponents and journalists.

"They have occupied Tibet since the 1950s and continue to 'disappear' democracy campaigners and government critics in Hong Kong.

"The Scottish Government like to pride themselves on being defenders of human rights; they should admit that they have misjudged this and commit to raise more serious concerns at the earliest opportunity."

Shenzhen is one of China's most prosperous economic areas and the regional communist party administration in the region governs around 11m people.

Scottish Development International - an agency of the devolved administration - opened an office in Shenzhen in 2013 as part of the government's aim to increase economic ties with the region.

The government's five year plan working with China includes the guiding principle of promoting "respect for human rights and the rule of law".

In response to the Greens, a Scottish Government spokesman said: "The Scottish Government condemns human rights abuses wherever they take place.

"We are committed to engaging with the Chinese Government on human rights, and respect for human rights and the rule of law is one of the four guiding principles in the Scottish Government's China strategy which underpins Scotland's dealings with China.

"Any future business proposals will go through robust due diligence and we will continue to engage with Amnesty International on human rights issues ahead of international engagements."

The Scottish Government faced criticism last year after it signed a memorandum of understanding on investment from two Chinese firms in March without publishing any details of the deal.

The deal was cancelled by the firms in September after they claimed "inaccurate and defamatory material" was being published by the Scottish media about them.

It emerged after the agreement was signed that one of the companies, the China Railway Group, was blacklisted by the Norweigian state due to alleged human rights abuses.