President Illa aims to strengthen economic ties during visit to China

The Catalan president will begin an official visit to China on Friday, where he will meet with senior political officials and visit several companies, including Huawei, Damm, Seat, and Chery.

This is Salvador's second official trip outside of Europe, following a visit to Japan and South Korea at the end of May aimed at attracting investment.

In China, Illa will meet with Yin Li, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China and party secretary in Beijing, and with Wu Weihua, Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress, among others.

From July 25 to August 1, the president will visit cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hefei, accompanied by the Catalan foreign and business ministers, Jaume Duch and Miquel Sàmper.

The aim of the trip is to consolidate Catalonia as a strategic economic and institutional partner for China, and follows the recent EU-China summit in Beijing marking 50 years of diplomatic relations.

It will also help strengthen relationships, including the one established with the National People's Congress last November, when Illa met with its president, Zhao Leji – the third-highest-ranking official in China.

As well as high-level encounters with political leaders, the Catalan government also aims to attract Chinese investment into Catalonia and promote the presence of Catalan companies in China.

Business visits

In Hefei, Illa will meet with executives from China UniCom, one of the country's leading telecommunications operators, and visit the Seat-Cupra plant, where models like the Tavascan are produced.

In Wuhu, he will visit another carmaker, Chery, who manufacture in Barcelona's Zona Franca through a partnership with EV Motors.

Illa will also visit the AMES Group plant, a Catalan automotive firm.

In Shanghai, Illa, accompanied by José Alberto Carbonell, president of the Port of Barcelona, will visit the city's port, the largest in the world in terms of container volume.

He is also expected to meet with several Chinese airlines, including China Eastern, which will launch a direct flight between Barcelona and Shanghai in September.

Illa will deliver a keynote titled 'Catalonia leads – A gateway to Europe' at the Westin Bund Center Hotel, promoting Catalonia as a key player in the European economy and highlighting opportunities for Chinese investment. He will be joined by Josep Santacreu, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, among others.