Illa travels to China to strengthen Catalonia's presence in Asia

President Salvador Illa begins a tour of China this Friday to consolidate Catalonia's strategic relationship with the Asian giant on the economic and institutional levels. This is the second trip outside Europe for the head of the Executive Branch to attract investment, following trips to Japan and South Korea at the end of May for the same purpose.

China is a very important market for Catalonia both economically and touristically. According to Acció, 7% of the investment projects attracted last year came from this country, and of the 680,000 travelers who visited Spain, more than half landed in Barcelona, and the trend is increasing. In fact, starting in September, El Prat Airport will have five direct connections with different Chinese cities. Illa explained last Wednesday in Parliament that his goal is to "strengthen ties" with the Asian country in the "long term." This is a path that, despite criticism from the US, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also explored during his last visit last April, when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Hence, President Illa's trip, which will take him to Beijing, Hefei, Wuhu and Shanghai from July 25 to August 1, will have a more institutional first part with visits and meetings with political leaders, among which the meeting with the vice president of the country's legislative body, the National People's Congress of China, Wu Weihua, or the meeting with one of the members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and secretary of the municipal committee of the party in Beijing, Yin Li, with whom the president met last November in Barcelona.

From July 25 to August 1, the socialist leader will visit Beijing, Hefei, Wuhu and Shanghai.

The second leg of the tour will be more economic and will focus on attracting investment from the Chinese market to Catalonia and promoting the presence of Catalan companies in the Asian country. The president has scheduled visits to telecommunications companies participating in the Mobile World Congress, such as Huawei and China UniCom, and to vehicle manufacturers such as Chery, which plans to increase electric car production at its Barcelona plant and increase the number of employees to 1,700.

The president will also visit the Seat-Cupra facilities in Hefei, where the Tavascan has been manufactured since 2023, where he will meet with the company's CEO, Marcus Haupt. In parallel, the trip aims to promote the presence of Catalan companies in China. Meetings with executives from companies such as Damm and Ficosa are planned, as well as a dinner with the chef of Disfrutar, Eduard Estruch, as part of the World Year of Catalan Gastronomy. Representatives from the food, restaurant, and tourism sectors, as well as institutional and diplomatic officials, will be present.

Illa will travel accompanied by the Minister of the European Union and Foreign Affairs, Jaume Duch, and the Minister of Business, Miquel Sàmper, with whom he will participate in events to promote Catalonia and strengthen ties in various areas such as culture, gastronomy, sports, universities, and science.

On the trip, the Executive leader seeks to "strengthen ties" with the Asian country "in the long term."

The president's tour begins just one day after the European Union-China summit to commemorate 50 years of bilateral relations. The meeting comes at an ill-timed time due to the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and their impact on the global economy. Europe, for its part, is criticizing Beijing for impeding EU companies' investment in its territory. Therefore, Illa plans to meet with the EU ambassador to China, Jorge Toledo, to learn firsthand about the outcome of the summit.

It's been 21 years since a president of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) traveled to China. Pasqual Maragall was the last to visit, in 2004, on a tour also intended to foster trade relations with Catalonia. The Generalitat (Catalan Government) wishes to highlight this fact and frames the tour, which Illa began in Japan and South Korea and is now traveling to China, as "a leap forward" in its relations with the Asian continent through a program, the Asia Plan, which will be launched before the end of the year.