Canada's Scotia hopes to raise stake in China bank

BEIJING Aug 12 (Reuters) - Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) wants to raise its stake in Xi'an City Commercial Bank towards 20 percent from 1.3 percent now, an executive at the Canadian lender said on Wednesday.

Scotia hopes to increase its stake, subject to regulatory approval, by the end of this year, Brendan King, the bank's vice-president for Greater China, told Reuters on the sidelines of a Canadian financial forum in Beijing. (Reporting by Simon Rabinovitch; Writing by Alan Wheatley; Editing by Ken Wills)