The Secretary for Foreign and EU Affairs, Roger Albinyana, and the Vice Governor of the Chinese province of Jiangsu, Li Yunfeng, met today at the Palau de la Generalitat to sign a collaborative agreement formalizing the institutional framework of relations between both territories. The agreement aims to work together in the field of economic development, in the promotion of investments and trade, research, social affairs, education, culture, health, environment protection, sustainable development as well as in the exchange of best practices in public management.

 

The document was signed with the common intention of reinforcing friendly ties that unite Catalonia and Jiangsu by strengthening and increasing the already established cooperation across various areas. The 4-year agreement replaces the former 1998 cooperation agreement signed specifically for the business sector. Furthermore, the document provides for the creation of a Mixt Committee for collaboration made up of representatives from both governments which will promote specific partnership projects.

 

During the signing ceremony, Secretary Albinyana highlighted the eagerness to establish this long-awaited agreement as both governments “have maintained a fluid collaborative relationship in past few years” and, in this sense, the agreement will “reinforce the institutional bond and promote the exchange of experiences in public management in different fields such as the environment, agriculture, business and tourism”. The Secretary also explained how “Catalonia and Jiangsu have a great collaboration potential as economic motors of their respective states which should be encouraged to its full potential. The Catalan economy is still the economy that carries the most weight and the one that contributes the most to the Spanish State”.

 

On his part, the Vice Governor of the Chinese province of Jiangsu, Li Yunfeng, encouraged both territories to “take full advantage of this Accord in order to deepen their shared friendship and develop specific projects that generate mutual benefits”. Yunfeng added that Jiangsu and Catalonia “are two leaders in economic development with many similarities between them and with a great potential for complementarity which must be capitalized”. Furthermore, the Vice Governor highlighted the great number of Chinese business which have been set up in Catalonia and welcomed all Catalan firms wanting to enter the Jiangsu market”. 

After the bilateral agreement’s signature, Secretary Albinyana accompanied Vice Governor Yunfeng to meet the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, at the Palau de la Generalitat. As part of the official trip, the Chinese delegation also held meetings with different Government entities such as the Catalan Tourist Board (CTB), Catalonia’s Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ) of the Ministry of Business and Labour, the Directorate General of Youth of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Family, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and the Promotora d'Exportacions Catalanes, SA (PRODECA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food.

Jiangsu represents one of China’s main industrial hubs. Its history, its proximity to Shanghai and its geographical location between the East coast of China and the Yangtze River Delta, have made into a centre of trade and commercial exchanges. Despite the crisis, it is still one of the pioneer regions in China’s industrial development. This position as a driving force in the territory led to the arrival of the first Catalan firms to Mainland China, many of which also began to establish themselves in the more southern province of Guangdong.

 

Jiangsu is China’s second smallest province but the fifth in terms of population density. It is one of the economic and commercial centres of the country. The province is home to the main exporting electronic, chemical and textile firms’ head-offices and is also one of the principle Foreign Direct Investment receivers. Moreover, its GDP is among the highest in the whole country while its GDP per capita is well above the national average. Its main economic sectors include renewable energies, agriculture and its related industries, mining, textiles, machinery as well as the chemical and car industries. Furthermore, it is an important tourist destination and the income generated from the tourism industry represents an important source of the province’s wealth.

 

With this agreement, the Catalan Government further consolidates its institutional ties with China, as it complements the Catalonia-Guangdong Partnership Agreement signed in 2003 and the good relationship held with with the government of Hong Kong.