The CEO of International CEOE, Marta Blanco, held a meeting with a delegation from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the Import and Export of mechanical and electronic products (CCCME), headed by its president, Zhang Yujing. In the meeting, in which Spanish companies and associations participated, possibilities of cooperation between both countries and in third markets were analyzed. It was also assisted by the director for Asia of ICEX Invest in Spain, Alicia Tamames.
During her speech, Marta Blanco highlighted the close relationship that is maintained from CEOE both with the Chinese Embassy and with the Economic and Commercial Office in Spain, as with the main institutions and business organizations in the country. There are numerous events organized and in which CEOE participates with China, as proof of mutual interest. Thus, in November 2018, during the trip of the president of China to Spain, a business meeting was held at CEOE, inaugurated by the trade ministers of both countries and attended by more than 300 entrepreneurs. More recently, in June of this year, CEOE has been part of the business delegation that accompanied the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism to China.
Blanco also emphasized the business meeting that was held at the CEOE headquarters two years ago with a CCME delegation, to analyze business and investment opportunities in the automotive industry, specifically the electric vehicle. The evolution of the sector in China, he said, has grown considerably since the meeting. The latter also served to intensify the presence of Spanish companies in this sector in the Asian country.
China-Spain Relations
The director of ICEX Invest in Spain, Alicia Tamames, made a presentation on the importance that China has as an investment destination for Spanish companies and highlighted the business opportunities existing in our country in different sectors. In this regard, he highlighted that the Spanish economy is competitive and one of the fastest growing in the last two years. Tamames explained that the largest investors in Spain are the United States, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, but for a long time there has been a growing interest from Mexico, China and Brazil.
Also, the director of ICEX Invest in Spain stressed that China is the seventh investor in our country with more 16,940 million euros and 160 Chinese companies installed. Tamames added that investing in Spain implies investing in the European Union, as well as being an excellent platform for Latin America, North Africa and the Middle East. He also insisted on the agreements to avoid double taxation and for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection that we have with numerous countries in Latin America.
Bilateral cooperation
The president of the CCCME, Zhang Yujing, stressed that the CCCME is the most important Chamber in the sector related to automobiles, naval aviation or electronic devices, among others. He also informed that Chinese companies show a growing interest in Spain as an investment destination and for bilateral cooperation. Yujing highlighted the great business potential in key Spanish sectors such as cars, renewable energies or information technologies, but considered that the exchange of information on the opportunities between the two countries is still scarce. For this reason, the president of CCME suggested collaborating in depth with CEOE to establish suitable bilateral information platforms, as well as attending fairs held in both countries and that can serve, both to promote Chinese and Spanish products, as well as to Know first-hand business opportunities.