Commitments and contingencies (Details Narrative) - CNY (¥) ¥ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
ZHEJIANG TIANLAN
Operating leases expense	¥ 0	¥ 0	¥ 0

Amount of operating lease expense. Excludes sublease income.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2009/role/commonPracticeRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Section 45
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (b)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=77888419&loc=SL77918638-209977

Name:	us-gaap_OperatingLeaseExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration