Lease obligations (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 (¥)
Operating cash flows from operating leases \| $	$ 285		$ 195
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations (noncash): \| $	$ 0		$ 0
ZHEJIANG TIANLAN
Finance cash flows from finance leases \| ¥		¥ 0		¥ 0
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations (noncash): \| ¥		¥ 0		¥ 0

Amount of cash outflow from operating lease, excluding payments to bring another asset to condition and location necessary for its intended use.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 45
-Paragraph 5
-Subparagraph (c)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147479041/842-20-45-5

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Topic 842
-SubTopic 20
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Section 50
-Paragraph 4
-Subparagraph (g)(1)
-Publisher FASB
-URI https://asc.fasb.org//1943274/2147478964/842-20-50-4

Name:	us-gaap_OperatingLeasePayments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration