Property plant and equipment net (Details 1) ¥ in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2023 CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2022 CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021 CNY (¥)
Depreciation charge \| $	$ 15		$ 33		$ 38
ZHEJIANG TIANLAN
Depreciation charge \| ¥		¥ 5,964		¥ 6,580		¥ 6,466

The aggregate expense recognized in the current period that allocates the cost of tangible assets, intangible assets, or depleting assets to periods that benefit from use of the assets.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 45
-Paragraph 28
-Subparagraph (b)
-SubTopic 10
-Topic 230
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482740/230-10-45-28

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 22
-Subparagraph (e)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147482810/280-10-50-22

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