Chinese interest on the port of Badalona, north of Barcelona

From http://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20131220/54397390281/interes-chino-puerto-badalona-tres-xemeneies.html (in Spanish)

It seems evident that China is interested on Barcelona. The cranes of Hutchinson at the mouth of the Llobregat river, south of the city of Barcelona, have turned new pier of its port into some sort of Chinese territory. And now, on the northern end of the city, in the Besòs river delta, already in the Badalona city limits, the Three Chimneys of the old thermal power station may have a similar future.

The Chinese investment group Kalsang Metong has recently signed an agreement with the municipality of Badalona and the Barcelona County Council to explore the possibility of selling two pieces of land by the sea: first, the 20 hectares of the surroundings of the former Besòs thermal power station, that ceased its activity in 2011; and second, the port of Badalona, a public property owned by the municipality and the county council that is in red numbers.

Asked by La Vanguardia, the mayor of Badalona, PP member Xavier García Albiol, showed cautious about this possibility. He explained about the initial contacts, but he stated that he has received no offer yet. The mayor of the neighbouring municipality Sant Adrià del Besòs, Joan Callau, also held meetings with the Chinese representatives and expressed his interest on the operation.

According from sources that know the details of the contacts, the Chinese want to invest on housing, leisure, culture and hotels and turn the old building of the Three Chimneys into a museum of the Chinese culture in Europe. It has been known that Li Wenru, Deputy Director of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, was one of the members of the Chinese delegation.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="368"] The Three Chimneys in Sant Adrià del Besòs, Barcelona (image from Barcelona Photoblog by Carlos Lorenzo)[/caption]

Published the issue #10 of the Newsletter of the Catalan Engineers in China

The China Working Group of the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia has released the issue 10 of their Newsletter. It can be read and downloaded in the previous link for from here below.

Barcelona based rock band GAS releases Chinese version of FC Barcelona's anthem

GAS, a rock band based in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat (Barcelona province) that earlier this year took by storm the local music scene by releasing their first EP, "Chinese Works" with seven original songs sung in Mandarin Chinese, has again caused sensation by recording a Chinese version of the anthem of the legendary Catalan football team FC Barcelona. Entitled 巴薩的隊歌, the news has appeared in many media, both local and from abroad.



 

Editada la "Guía de Supervivencia en China" per al viatger de negocis

De http://landing.captio.net/descargate-la-guia-de-supervivencia-para-el-viajero-de-negocios-cross-cultural-en-china (en Castellano)

Captio, amb la col·laboració de Baidewei, han editat una eina que pot resultar molt útil per als cada vegada més freqüents viatgers de negocis disposats a conquerir els mercats de Xina. Es tracta de la “Guía de Supervivencia en China para el viajero de negocios“, en la qual en 26 pàgines es resumeixen els costums, el protocol i la cultura d'empresa a la Xina, per tal que qui hi viatgi per primera vegada no comenci des de zero. La guia està disponible en format pdf y per a obtenir-la tan sols cal visitar l'enllaç anterior.

Editada la Guía de Supervivencia en China para el viajero de negocios

De http://landing.captio.net/descargate-la-guia-de-supervivencia-para-el-viajero-de-negocios-cross-cultural-en-china (en Castellano)

Captio, con la colaboración de Baidewei, han editado una herramienta que puede resultar muy útil para los cada vez más frecuentes viajeros de negocios cuyo mercado a conquistar es China. Se trata de la "Guía de Supervivencia en China para el viajero de negocios", en la cual se resumen en 26 páginas las costumbres, el protocolo y la cultura de empresa en China, para que quien viaje por primera vez no empiece desde cero. La guía está disponible en formato pdf y para obtenerla tan sólo hay que visitar el enlace anterior.

 

Guzheng concert in Vilafranca del Penedès by Zhang Ye

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=212498 (in English)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="145"] Zhang Ye playing the guzheng (image from Zhang Ye's website)[/caption]

Zhang Ye ( 张也), graduate at the Conservatory of Music of Shenyang, China, will perform on December 13th, 2013, in the Chapel of Sant Joan, in Vilafranca del Penedès (Barcelona province). She is scheduled to give a free concert of guzheng (Chinese harp) in the framework a programme called “Discovering Asian Talents” of the 2013 Asia Festival that takes place in several towns of the Barcelona province. This concert is organized by Casa Àsia, in collaboration with Diputació de Barcelona and the municipality of Vilafranca del Penedès. Zhang Ye has performed at emblematic venues in Barcelona and Catalonia since 2006.

Book about Hong Kong to be presented at the Ulyssus travel bookstore in Girona

Xavier Moret, author of the book "Días de Hong Kong" (Hong Kong days), will be presenting it on November 29th, 2013, at the renowned travel bookstore Llibreria Ulyssus in Girona. This book compiles the impressions of the author during a 2-month stay in the former British colony.

Right after the presentation of the book, Llibreria Ulyssus and the travel agency Viatges Viñolas are going to introduce their new partnership, through which they plan to organize further book presentations, talks, workshops and exhibitions for all the travelling fans. Llibreria Ulyssus and Viatges Viñolas can be found at the Cort Reial street, 3, in the old quarter of Girona.

[caption id="attachment_2779" align="aligncenter" width="231"] Inauguration of the partnership between Llibreria Ulyssus and Viatges Viñolas[/caption]

 

Chinese students visit the industrial colony of Cal Vidal in Puig-reig

From http://www.regio7.cat/bergueda/2013/11/19/estudiants-xinesos-visiten-cal-vidal/250294.html (in Catalan)

A group of Chinese architecture students have analysed the landscape and the arrangement of the former textile colony of Cal Vidal, in Puig-reig (Barcelona province). They were accompanied by Eusebi Casanelles, from the Museu Colònia Vidal, and  Miquel Vidal, doctor on architecture, professor at the Urban and Territorial Planning Department, of the master on Landscape Architecture. The goal of these Chinese students was to gather information on the evolution of the textile colonies along the Llobregat river and to include it in their study on the architecture of landscape of this particular communities.

 

International Seminar on the Identity and Development in the Global Era. A Comparative Approach: Asia & Europe

From http://www.casaasia.cat/actividad/detalle?id=212412 (in Catalan)

On November 25th, 2013 and on December 2nd, 2013 at 9 am the School of Architecture of Barcelona (Diagonal Avenue 649-651), the Tsinghua University (北京市海淀区清华大学) and Casa Àsia are organizing a free international seminar entitled "Identity and Development in the Global Era. A Comparative Approach: Asia & Europe".

The goal of this seminar is to study the identity of extreme land developments by comparing situations from Asia and Europe.

Programme

9.00 h - 9.15 h Welcome address by Ferran Sagarra, Director of the School of Architecture of Barcelona.

9.15 h - 9.45 h Seminar opening by Yan Banghua, Chinese Consulate-General in Barcelona

9.45 h - 10.30 h Barcelona & Beijing’ Identities Differences and Similarities, by Menene Gras Balaguer, Director of Culture and Exhibitions at Casa Àsia.

10.30 h - 12.00 h The contemporary Chinese landscape design, Zhu Yufan’s works: Kuangshan Garden of Chenshan Botanical Garden in Shanghai and others – Part 1, Zhu Yufhan, landscape architect and Deputy Chair of Landscape Architecture at Tsinghua University, China

12.00 h - 12.30 h Coffee break

12.30 h - 14.00 h The contemporary Chinese landscape design, Zhu Yufan’s works: Kuangshan Garden of Chenshan Botanical Garden in Shanghai and others – Part 2, Zhu Yufhan, landscape architect and Deputy Chair of Landscape Architecture at Tsinghua University, China

14.00 h - 14.15 h Open discussion with Zhu Yufhan

15.30 h - 16.30 h The public space challenge in Chinese cities, urban landscape and spatial culture in Shanghai, by Maria José Masnou, architect and teacher of the Master's Course on Oriental Studies of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) of the the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF)

16.30 h - 16.45 h Open discussion with Maria José Masnou

16.45 h - 17.45 h Presentation on the course of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) Identity and Development in the Global Era. A Comparative Approach: Asia & Europe by Miquel Vidal, doctor on architecture, professor at the Urban and Territorial Planning Department, of the master on Landscape Architecture, founder and director of Ginna Kanda - International Forum for Extreme Cultural Landscapes Development - Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

17.45 h - 18.00 h Open discussion with Miquel Vidal

18.30 h - 19.30 h Recorded presentation Chinese Tradition is a Distinctive Part of Landscape Architecture in the World (in Chinese with English subtitles) by Meng Zhaozhen, professor of the School of Landscape Architecture of the Beijing Forestry University and vice-president of the Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture

18.00 h - 19.30 h Closing remarks by Miquel Vidal and Zhu Yufhan

Hong Kong communications company Cronos sets in Barcelona

From http://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20131124/54394458225/hong-kong-cronos-group-abre-oficina-en-barcelona.html (in Spanish)

Before the end of 2013 and backed by Invest in Catalonia, the office of the Catalan government to promote foreign investments in the regions, the Hong Kong communications company Cronos Group will open an office in the city of Barcelona. Cronos Group is a telecommunications provider that is already in 80 countries and that has chosen Barcelona as the see of their Spanish headquarters because of the business atmosphere brought by the annual Mobile World Congress organized in the Catalan capital. These new offices are expected to created around 25 new jobs.

Roundtable in Barcelona about the art of translation of Chinese literature

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=212399 (in English)

Chinese literature is getting an increasing attention in Spain, since the work of Chinese writers is becoming more and more common among the Spanish publishing companies and the books are appearing often in the shelves and windows of bookshops.

The putonghua or standard Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, but its richness, semantic ambiguity and complexity make it one of hardest languages to translate. Recently, and thanks to the work of a new wave of Catalan and Spanish translators, Chinese authors now can be read in Catalan and Spanish directly translated from the original version and not from translations from other languages, as it used to happen.

According to the organizers, this roundtable will allow attendants to hear directly from the specialists on this matter about the challenges posed by the translation of Chinese literature into Catalan and Spanish. All guests is a specialist in this field and will share with attendants their personal experience in translating classic and comtemporary Chinese literature.

Speakers:

• Dr. Chang Shiru, Director of Fundació Institut Confuci of Barcelona, Chair and Doctor in Hispanic Philology


• Carla Benet, translator, interpreter and teacher of Chinese. Fundació Institut Confuci of Barcelona


• Dr. Sara Rovira Esteva, translator, researcher and teacher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona


• Dr. Anne Hélène Suarez Girard, translator, researcher and teacher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

This event will take place on Tuesday, November 26th, 2013 at the Casa Àsia Headquarters in Barcelona, at the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau (street Sant Antoni Maria Claret, 167) and it will be presented by Rafael Bueno, Director of Politics and Society of Casa Àsia.

Free admission with limited capacity. Registration is needed before November 24th by sending your name, surname and ID/passport number to cnavarro.becarios@casaasia.es.

 

A Chinese fund provides 4.5 million € to Catalan water company

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/economia/2013/11/21/fons-xines-aporta-4-milions/644582.html (in Catalan)

Xavier Doló, CEO of Clean Tech Dolo Group, will be able to produce and sell Hydromatch, the device invented by himself five years ago to produce drinking water from the of water vapor in the air, thanks to a Chinese fund. Clean Tech Dolo Group will receive 4.5 million € in 3 years and also will be introduced in the Chinese market. Hydromatch can produce up to 6,800 litres/day of pure drinking water extracted from the humidity of the air, something very interesting for a country like China with areas in which there is a severe water pollution. Xavier Doló's goal is to produce the two first portable machines in the forthcoming 6 months, to later start the serial production of two machines per day. The factory is planned to be built in Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Girona province, Catalonia), where the prototype has been developed, which is expected to help improve the local economy. Once in full production phase, expected sales can reach 50 million €/year.

 

Zhou Mengxin wins Spanish ICEX gastronomy contest

From http://www.vi-franc.com/la-xinesa-zhou-mengxin-guanya-el-concurs-que-clausura-el-vi-programa-de-formacio-en-gastronomia-de-licex (in Catalan)

Cava Regulatory Board has taken part in the 6th Program of Gastronomy Learning of ICEX, that has ended with the 6th Tapas International Contest of Valladolid (Spain). The young Chinese cook, Zhou Mengxin, has been the winner of this edition, which has the objective that contestants reflect in his/her own recipes the tastes and techniques learned during their stages in some of the best restaurants in Spain. The tapa by Zhou Mengxin that was awarded with the first price, given by the Cava Regulatory Board, has been salmorejo with iberian ham in crunchy rice. Geneva Melby, from United States, and Rafal Wojtasik, from Poland, have won the second and third prize, respectively. Zhou Mengxin, as winner, will be appointed as honour member of the Cava Regulatory Board during the Cava Week of 2014, and will also give a master class at the Tourism University School of Barcelona.

 

Catalan Minister of Agriculture confirms Chinese interest on Catalan food products

From http://www.lavanguardia.com/local/tarragona/20131109/54393924649/pelegri-confirma-l-interes-creixent-de-la-xina-per-productes-catalans-com-el-vi-l-oli-el-formatge-o-.html (in Catalan)

Catalan Minister of Agriculture, Josep Maria Pelegrí, has confirmed the Chinese interest on Catalan food products such as wine, olive oil, cheese or fruit, as stated by the participation of 14 Catalan companies on a food and beverages trade fair recently organized in Shanghai.

The goal of the event is to offer direct contact of those companies with Chinese importers and distributors in order to introduce and consolidate their products in the Chinese market. The Catalan products promoted in this trade fair are olive oil, coffee, wine, spirits, fruit, cava wine, honey and sweets (torrons, a Christmas traditional desert, and candies).

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture of the Catalan government, the exports of Catalan food products to China is growing annually by 13%. Economic growth, urban development, the growth of the Chinese middle class, the diversification of the diet and the increase in the consumption of western products represent an opportunity for the local companies to improve their sales.

Third edition of China at Barcelona Summit

From http://www.europapress.es/catalunya/noticia-centenar-empresas-chinas-mediterraneo-estudian-abrir-sede-barcelona-20131106181850.html (in Spanish)

Around one hundred Chinese companies already working in the Mediterranean area are considering to establish their headquarters in Barcelona, after their participation in the third edition of the China at Barcelona Summit, aimed at promoting Chinese investments in this city.

Organized by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Mazars, and Invest in Catalonia, China at Barcelona Summit has also had the institutional support of the Barcelona City Council, Casa Àsia and IEMed, and has gathered the investment agencies of Shanghai and Beijing, as well as ShineWing, a certified public accounting firm with 3,000 words. Another important participant was the China Africa Business Council, a Beijing-based institution that represents around 550 Chinese companies working in Africa and whose General Secretary, Bai Xiaofeng, has accepted to explain the advantages of Barcelona as main investment hub in Southern Europe.

One of the sessions that has raised more interest has been the one dealing with the new Spanish regulations for entrepreneurs, that will ease the concession of visas and residence permits to foreign investors that would by properties worth at least 500,000 euro.  The participants also have known several investment projects in northern Africa, either promoted or managed by Barcelona-based institutions, such as the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean.

During the opening ceremony, the Catalan Minister of Business and Employment, Felip Puig, and the President of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Miquel Valls, highlighted the dedicated efforts of Barcelona and Catalonia to become a hub for Chinese companies with interests in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean. Felip Puig also mentioned the privileged and strategic location of Catalonia.

The meeting also seen the participation of the General Secretary of Casa Àsia, Montserrat Riba, the partner of Mazars in China, Chen Bing, and the President of IEMed, Senen Florensa.

Talk with Yu Hua in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=212101 (in English)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Yu Hua (image from Casa Asia website)[/caption]

The Master in Chinese Studies of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, in collaboration with Editorial Males Herbes, CCCB-Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona and Casa Asia are organizing a talk with Chinese writer Yu Hua (余华) in Barcelona on November 5, 2013. The renowned writer will give a talk entitled "The Frozen Story: Between Kafka and Lu Xun" and together with Carles Prado, teacher at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and specialist in Chinese literature, will discuss about the deep economic, political and social changes experimented by China since the end of the Cultural Revolution.

How has Chinese literature reflected this giant transformation? What evolution has literary production experimented since Mao Zedong's death? Why is Yu Hua's innovative prose so crude and heartbreaking? These are some of the questions Yu Hua will analyse in this dialogue within the framework of the opening lecture of the Master in Chinese Studies of Universitat Pompeu Fabra. The event coincides with the publication of the first translation into Catalan of Yu Hua's work The past and the punishments (El passat i els càstigs, Males Herbes, 2013).

The event will take place at the CCCB-Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (Montalegre, 5, 08001 Barcelona) and will be presented by Ricard Planas, Director of Editorial Males Herbes and is scheduled to start at 7:30 pm. Free admission until room's full capacity.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="192"] El passat i els càstigs, by Yu Hua (image from the website of Editorial Males Herbes)[/caption]

 

Published the issue #9 of the Newsletter of the Catalan Engineers in China

The China Working Group of the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia has released the issue 9 of their Newsletter. It can be read and downloaded in the previous link for from here below.



 

China, an attractive market for Cava wine

From http://spanish.china.org.cn/economic/txt/2013-10/24/content_30392743.htm (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="155"] Logo of Institut del Cava[/caption]

The big size of Chinese market and its quick growth has become very attractive for the cava wine producers, according to the president of the Institut del Cava, Jaume Gramona, in an exclusive interview for Xinhua (新华网), the official press agency of the People's Republic of China. Jaume Gramona explained that currently cava exports are mainly addressed to United States, United Kingdom and Belgium, but he has no doubt that China will also join that list in a near future.

In 2010, cava producers exported 95,349 bottles to China, that increased to 246,317 bottles in 2011 (increase by 158%) and to 370,300 bottles in 2012 (increase by an additional 50%). The cava sector started to export in 1980 and since then the number of bottles sold outside Spain hasn't stopped increasing, reaching 161 million bottles in 2012, that doubled the number sold in the home market, 81 million.

The headquarters of the Institut del Cava, an organization that groups most of the Spanish cava producers, are located in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (Barcelona province), since 95% of the cava production in Spain happens in Catalonia.

 

Barcelona appointed Guest of Honour at the 2014 Beijing Design Week

From http://www.catalannewsagency.com/culture/item/barcelona-will-be-guest-of-honour-at-the-2014-beijing-design-week (in English)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="52"] Beijing Design Week[/caption]

The city of Barcelona will be the Guest of Honour at the 2014 Beijing Design Week (BJDW). This festival is one of the biggest cultural events in China and will be attended by three and a half millon visitors. The news was announced by Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, Minister for Culture, Ferran Mascarell, and Director of the Ramon Llull Institute for Catalan Culture, Àlex Susanna. The event, held between late September and early October, is dedicated to Design, Architecture, Urbanism, and Contemporary Creation. Àlex Susanna insisted it was the most significant cultural project since Catalonia’s invitation to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2007.

Chinese multinational corporation IFC Logistics sets in Catalonia

From http://barcelonacatalonia.cat/b/?p=6633&lang=en (in English)

IFC Logistics, a Chinese company specializing in international freight-management for top brands, has landed in the Ametlla Park industrial zone, 35 km from the city of Barcelona, and has leased a 3,000-square-meter warehouse to manage stock for some of the top international chains in the clothing, shoe and accessories sectors. The company acquires excess inventory from fashion brands, which they then sell at outlets around the world.

International Fashion Corporation Ltd (IFC), based in Hong Kong, is the mother company of a group of several corporations, which implement their business model in managing stock for some of the top international chains in the clothing, shoe and accessories sector. The company acquires excess inventory from fashion brands, which they then sell at outlets around the world.

Catalonia is currently the main logistics hub in southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It has a complete network of infrastructures with connections to all modes of transport, featuring the industrial and retail fabric with all the logistics services that international operators and import or export companies could need.

App to travel to China released by students of the Autonomous University of Barcelona

From http://trabajoenchina.org/aplicacion-para-viajar-a-china (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="154"] Image of the Survival Guide in China from the iTunes website[/caption]

Students from the Master Course on Travel Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) have released a smartphone application with tips and other relevant information for the people willing to travel to China. The application, called Survival Guide in China, is free and is available for iPhone and Android and it is available in Catalan, Spanish, English, Portuguese and French.

The categories that contain the information are Tips, Gastronomy, Shopping, Religion, Nightlife, Culture and Language, and they it has been collected by the students themselves when they travelled to China, also taking the pictures and filming the videos.

Download the application for Android from the Play Store or for iPhone from iTunes.

Tèxtil Balaguer travels back from China to Catalonia

From http://www.elpuntavui.cat/noticia/article/4-economia/18-economia/643008-el-2009-vam-aturar-la-comanda-a-la-xina.html (in Catalan)

Tèxtil Balaguer, based in Caldes de Montbui (Barcelona province) and specialized in producing fabrics for the production of shirts, has celebrated in 2013 its 50th anniversary and has some 50 workers. As explained by company's CEO, Jaume Balaguer, in 2003 they started to buy products from China to later sell at good price in Catalonia, while they only took some urgent orders in their factory, a strategy that lasted for six years. But in 2009 they reversed the trend, stopped importing textiles from China and resumed again the full production in Caldes de Montbui and, when needed, outsourcing some of their production to other textile industries in the Bages and Vallès counties, also in Barcelona province. Even though they still do some occasional import from China, Jaume Balaguer explains that the main problems were the big orders they had to pass at least 3 months in advance, when maybe not all the contracts at local level had been signed, plus the increase of the labor costs in South East Asia and the trend to have smaller and more diverse productions. These are the reasons that have brought Tèxtil Balaguer, a company that in 2005 was producing 70% of their textiles in China, to travel back to Catalonia and to focus here the bigger part of their production.

Wines from Celler Laurona well received in China

From https://www.facebook.com/CellerLaurona/posts/614707951900787

[caption id="attachment_2666" align="alignleft" width="288"] Celler Laurona wine succeeds in the 3rd Grand Tasting of the Top Wines from Spain (image from the Facebook profile of EMW - Grandes Vinos de España)[/caption]

Celler Laurona, from Falset (Tarragona province) and belonging to the DO Montsant (wine region), has recently had a successful experience in a showcase of Spanish wines at the Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel. The event was entitled 3rd Grand Tasting of the Top Wines from Spain and took place on October 14th, 2013. In the picture, a buyer from the COFCO Group (中粮集团) shows interest on one of the Celler Laurona wines.

Workshop about the gourmet food products in Asia organized in Girona

From http://agenda.acc10.cat/agenda/default.php?id=9799 (in Catalan)

This session is scheduled in the framework of the Internationalization Week of ACCIÓ (7-11 October 2013).

Without a doubt, Asia has become one of the main economic actors of our time with the 50% of the planet's population and 25% of the world's GDP. Asia also has two countries with population over 1 billion people, one of them being China with an annual growth of 9%. There are also 4 countries with population over 100 million people, like Japan, with an economy equivalent to those of Germany, France and United Kingdom together. Other countries have smaller populations, but they have an important economic growth and a high income per capita, like South Korea.

The goal of this session is to use the knowledge about Asia of the ACCIÓ experts to inform the attendants about the main features of the most dynamic markets of this region. The food sector offers good business perspectives for the import products that can be classified as gourmet.

Program

09.15h Reception of attendants

09.35h Welcome address by Ferran Roquer, Director of the office in Girona of the Catalan Ministry for Business and Labour

09.45h Conference “Asia, the big continent to be explored” by Claudia Danesi, Head of Asia-Pacific of ACCIÓ

10.00h Conference "Japan, the gourmet traditional market in Asia" by Yoshiyuki Iwahashi, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Tokio

10.20h Conference "South Korea, opportunities of a new market" by Josep Maria Coll, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Seoul

10.45h Coffee break

11.00h Conference "Online sales of gourmet products in China", by Taowen Xue, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Shanghai

11.20h Conference "Hong Kong, the window shop of gourmet products in China", by Madrona Marcet, Director of the Business Promotion Centre in Hong Kong

11.45h Questions & Answers

12.00h Presentation of the Catalonia Gourmet Cluster, by Marta Amorós, Manager of the Catalonia Gourmet Cluster

12.05h Networking between the attendants and the directors of the Business Promotion Centres

12.45h End of the session

The event will take place at the ACCIÓ headquarters in Girona, Pompeu Fabra Square, 1.

Chinese cinema cycle in the Filmoteca de Catalunya

From http://www.filmoteca.cat/web/programacio/cicles/transformacions-del-cinema-xines (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="250"] "Transformacions del cinema xinès", a Chinese cinema cycle at the Filmoteca de Catalunya[/caption]

Between September 25th and 29th, 2013, the Filmoteca de Catalunya will display a cycle of Chinese cinema entitled "Transformacions del cinema xinès" (Transformations of Chinese cinema). This cinema cycle will consist on a series of Chinese films about art or artists filmed in the last 20 years and that have their roots on the "cynical realism" movement. Landscape is an essential element in all the chosen titles.

 

Program

September 25th: 向日葵 ("Xiang ri kui"), presented by Manel Ollé

September 26th: 戲夢人生 ("Xì mèng rénshēng")

September 27th: 极度寒冷 ("Jidu hanleng")

September 28th: Ai Weiwei: Never sorry

September 29th: 变脸 ("Bian lian")

[caption id="attachment_2629" align="aligncenter" width="627"] Transformacions del cinema xinès at the Filmoteca de Catalunya[/caption]

 

 

Taiwanese delegation visits Girona to learn from its touristic promotion

From http://bit.ly/1gX3nxp (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="336"] Taiwanese delegation visits Girona to learn from its touristic promotion[/caption]

A group of 17 entrepreneurs and university professors from Taiwan have recently visited the city of Girona. Their main interest was to learn about the public-private cooperation on the promotion of touristic activities, specially on the business and conference sectors. This visit has been organized by the Barcelona office of the Taiwan Trade Center. They have been received by Ms. Marta Madrenas, Deputy Mayor of the city of Girona and in charge of the city's promotion. She has introduced the assets of Girona as an attractive destination for both family and conference tourism. Ms. Madrenas has stated that for the city of Girona it was very positive to hold this kind of meetings and has highlighted the "importance to meet groups of tourism professionals that later can spread the word about the city and recommend it once they are back in their home countries". She also mentioned the degree of interest shown by the Taiwanese delegation to learn from the Girona experience and remarked the efforts done by the city council "to promote the city as a touristic and cultural destination". The Taiwanese delegation ended up their stay in Girona visiting the Scientific and Technological Park.

Published the Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014

From http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-competitiveness/index.html (in English)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="622"] The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 South East Asia[/caption]

World Economic Forum‘s Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 displays very similar rankings to those of the previous year. Just as it also did in the 2 previous years, Taiwan has climbed to the 12th position. According to the report, Taiwan‘s “performance has been very stable and consistently strong over the past five years. Notable strengths include the capacity of Taiwanese businesses to innovate (8th), its highly efficient goods markets (7th), and its world-class primary education (9th) and higher education (11th). In order to enhance its competitiveness, Taiwan will need to further strengthen its institutional framework (26th), whose quality is undermined by some inefficiency within the government (28th) and various forms of corruption (30th), and will also need to address some inefficiencies and rigidities in its labour market (33rd)” (from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2013-14/GCR_CountryHighlights_2013-2014.pdf).

In an East Asian context, Taiwan is behind Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, and in front of Malaysia, South Korea and China. In the global ranking, Switzerland and Singapore remain at the top 2 positions, whereas Hong Kong moves up from position 9th to 7th and Japan improves one place, from 10th to 9, respectively. South Korea worsens its position from 19 to 25, whereas Malaysia moves upwards from position 25th to 24th and China remains in position 29th. Spain‘s position has improved from 36th to 35th during the last year.

According to the report, Singapore “ranks 2nd overall for the third consecutive year, owing to an outstanding performance across all the dimensions of the GCI. Again this year, it is the only economy to feature in the top 3 of seven out of the 12 pillars of the GCI; it also appears in the top 10 of two others. It dominates the goods market efficiency pillar and the labour market efficiency pillar, and places 2nd in the financial market development pillar. Furthermore, the city-state boasts one of the world’s best institutional frameworks (3rd), even though it loses the top spot to Finland in the related pillar. Singapore also possesses world-class infrastructure (2nd), with excellent roads, ports, and air transport facilities. Its economy can also rely on a sound macroeconomic environment and fiscal management (18th)—the budget surplus amounted to 5.7 percent of GDP in 2012. Singapore’s competitiveness is further enhanced by its strong focus on education, which has translated into a steady improvement of its ranking in the higher education and training pillar, where it comes in 2nd, behind Finland. Singapore’s private sector is also becoming increasingly sophisticated (17th) and more innovative (9th), although room for improvement exists in both areas, which are the keys to Singapore’s future prosperity” (from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2013-14/GCR_CountryHighlights_2013-2014.pdf).

Hong Kong "further consolidates its position among the 10 most competitive economies, advancing a further two places to 7th, thanks to a consistently strong performance. In particular, Hong Kong tops the infrastructure pillar for the fourth consecutive edition, reflecting the outstanding quality of its facilities across all modes of transportation. It also dominates the financial market development pillar, owing to the high level of efficiency, trustworthiness, and stability of the system. As in the case of Singapore, the dynamism and efficiency of Hong Kong’s goods market (2nd) and labour market (3rd) further contribute to its excellent overall positioning. In order to enhance its competitiveness, Hong Kong must improve on higher education (22nd) and innovation (23rd, up three). In the latter category, the quality of research institutions (31st) and the limited availability of scientists and engineers (32nd) remain the two key issues to be addressed" (from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2013-14/GCR_CountryHighlights_2013-2014.pdf).

And China, “remains stable at 29th position this year. The country posts small gains in certain areas of the Index but loses ground in others, resulting in an overall performance virtually unchanged since last year. China leads the BRICS economies by a wide margin, well ahead of South Africa (53rd), Brazil (56th), India (60th), and Russia (64th). The Chinese institutional framework is improving slightly (47th), but weaknesses—including corruption (68th), security issues (75th), and low levels of accountability (82nd) and ethical standards (54th) among businesses—remain. In addition, problems endure in those areas that are becoming increasingly important for China as it becomes wealthier and can no longer rely on cheap labour: its financial market (54th) is undermined by the relative fragility of the banking sector; technological adoption by firms (86th) and by the population at large (79th) remains very low; and the efficiency of its goods market (61st) is seriously undermined by various barriers to entry and investment rules, which greatly limit competition.  On a more positive note, China’s macroeconomic situation remains favorable (10th). Inflation was back down to below 3 percent in 2012 (from 5.4 percent the previous year), the budget deficit is moderate, China’s public debt-to-GDP ratio at 22.9 percent is among the lowest in the world, and the gross savings rate represents a staggering 50 percent of GDP. However, this rate is probably too high in light of the need for China to rebalance its economy away from investment and toward more consumption. Although China receives good marks in health and basic education (40th), the assessment is more negative when it comes to higher education (70th) because of China’s low tertiary education enrollment, the average quality of teaching, and an apparent disconnect between educational content and business needs (54th). Finally, China’s innovation capacity has been improving recently, but much remains done for it to become an innovation powerhouse" (from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2013-14/GCR_CountryHighlights_2013-2014.pdf).

The full report can be downloaded as pdf from the World Economic Forum website.

Catalan electric material producer Simon reaches over 2,200 shops in China

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/economia/2013/09/11/fabricant-material-electric-simon-supera/634503.html (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="273"] Image from Simon's website[/caption]

After reaching over 2,200 shops in China under the name of Simhome, the Asian giant is going to become Simon's main market in terms of total sales. According to Simon's CEO Xavier Torra, 780 of these shops have a surface of around 100 m2, whereas the other 1,500 shops have an average surface of around 20 m2, where Simon products are sold exclusively. Simon is selling in China since 1999, when an agreement with a local partner was made, that was followed by a joint venture in 2002 and has been able to supply equipment for the facilities of the Olympic Games in Beijing. According to Xavier Torra, "in 2 or 3 years China is expected to become our first market. Today it already represents around 20% of our total sales". Simon's total sales in 2012 reached 250 million €.

 

Espelt winery aims at conquering Chinese market

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/comarques/2013/08/31/celler-espelt-vol-conquerir-mercat/632967.html

[caption id="attachment_2549" align="alignleft" width="330"] Logo of Celler Espelt[/caption]

Celler Espelt, a Vilajuïga-based winery in Alt Empordà (Girona province) has started the harvest two weeks later than usual due to the rainy and rather fresh summer of 2013. They have started hand-harvesting their vineyards in Rabós d'Empordà, where they have the "lledoner roig" vineyards (Grenache pink, a local variety of Alt Empordà region), a grape that is mostly used in the local sweet wines.

However, this time things are going to be different. Celler Espelt is going to use this grape to make a new kind of wine. "This year we have decided to produce a white wine with this grape. Because of this year's late harvest, we have started picking up the lledoner roig instead of other grapes", explained the winery's enologist Anna Espelt, that later added that "lledoner roig is scattered among the carignan vines and its harvest requires a slow and pacient work". She also added that Celler Espelt wants to recover this local grape, that was almost forgotten, not only for the production of white wines but also for other kinds of wine. With this goal in mind, the Celler Espelt is starting a research project on how to recover the use of lledoner roig and how to use it in other kinds of wine apart from the garnatxa dolça de l'Empordà, the local sweet wine.

Apart from these new projects, Celler Espelt is also aiming at selling their wines in new markets. They are already exporting 60% of their bottles (around 480,000 out of 800,000 units) to countries like United States, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom and Norway. According to Anna Espelt, for next year they are aiming at some new markets like Germany, China and Latin America.

[caption id="attachment_2550" align="aligncenter" width="415"] Different products from the Celler Espelt, in their winery shop[/caption]

 

A visit to the Joan Miró exhibition in Taipei

[caption id="attachment_2506" align="alignleft" width="158"] Catalog of the Joan MIró exhibition in Taiwan[/caption]

On June 26th, 2013 we had the pleasure to visit the first exhibition ever organized in Taiwan of the works of Catalan painter Joan Miró (胡安·米羅), on display until September 25th, 2013 at the National Museum of History in Taipei (台北). The exhibition, entitled "Women, Birds, Stars" and curated by Jordi Joan Clavero, compiles 86 artworks from the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona and from the Miró family collection, that mostly reveal Miró’s mature style of the 60s and 70s, when women, birds and stars became the major motifs of his artistic expression. "Women, Birds, Stars" is scheduled to travel later to Kaohsiung (高雄) and Taichung (台中).

We arrived at the National Museum of History around 3 pm, 30 minutes before the start of the guided tour. We were already impressed from the start by the colourful banners in the surrounding streets announcing the exhibition and, as we got closer to the museum, we were also delighted by the beautiful decoration around it, something that would immediately grab the people's attention and invite them to get in. During this 30-minute wait, were able to roam free around the different rooms and have a preview of the whole exhibition. We were wondering which would be the degree of interest of the local residents to see the paintings of such a distant artist and when it was time for the guided tour we got the final answer: packed. Between 3:30 pm and 4:45 pm at least 4 simultaneous guided groups of 20 people each were circulating around the different rooms and receiving very accurate and illustrative explanations -in Chinese- by the museum guides about Joan Miró, his art and the meaning of his paintings.

We really enjoyed the exhibition and its atmosphere. We were deeply moved by the care, respect and passion that the organizers and the guides put into it and into spreading the word about the art of Joan Miró and its meaning and legacy in such a faraway country as Taiwan.

[caption id="attachment_2505" align="aligncenter" width="470"] The Sinalunya team while visiting the Joan Miró exhibition in Taipei[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2507" align="aligncenter" width="458"] The tickets for the Joan Miró exhibition in Taipei[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2508" align="aligncenter" width="517"] The National Museum of History in Taipei that holds the exhibition on the art of Joan Miró[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2556" align="aligncenter" width="517"] The Sinalunya team and our friend 徐小潭 at the Joan Miró exhibition in Taipei[/caption]

Catalan e-commerce company Trilogi succeeds in China

From http://www.viaempresa.cat/ca/notices/2013/08/trilogi-botigues-virtuals-amb-segell-catala-1984.php (in Catalan)

Trilogi is a company created in Igualada (Barcelona province) in 1999 that settled in China two years ago and that it is offering e-commerce solutions for Chinese companies. Màrius Rossell, founder of Trilogi, had a vision about the power of internet and he and his company specialized in creating virtual shops. Fourteen years later, Trilogi is expected to reach a total sales of 1.2 million euro in 2013 and among its clients there are some big companies like Media Markt, Muebles La Fábrica, Roche and the sports shoe company Munich.

After a failure in trying to internationalize TLG (Trilogi's international brand) in European Union markets, where they were not able to sell a single on-line shop, Màrius Rossell decided to give China a try. He realized that Spanish companies did not have a negative perception in China as they had in some European markets, so they decided to follow the same strategy in China with Baidu that they had previously followed in Spain with Google, aiming at a having a good SEO. With a team of 5 people, 4 of them from China, TLG's Beijing office has already been able to sell 20 on-line shops, having an average of 3-4 new clients every month.

Apart from the shop itself, TLG also offers additional services to their Chinese customers, such as the online promotion of their brands or managing their presence in the social networks Weibo and Renren, the equivalents of Twitter and Facebook in the Asian giant. TLG's strategy to keep on growing on the Chinese markets is to find local partners in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

According to Màrius Rossell, there are several reasons to think that in the next few years online shops will grow in China: i) it's a country with a high percentage of young people who are used to buy online products; ii) in some cities it is difficult to find some products, so the internet is an easy and effective solution; iii) many Chinese small and medium companies are in the growing phase and they need an online shop. However, there are other reasons that may cause this growth to be slower than expected, like: i) some Chinese people do not invest in e-commerce because they think it is not profitable enough; ii) opposite to the customers, a high percentage of Chinese businessmen are not into the world of internet and social networks; iii) the cost for an European company to land in China is quite high due to the language and cultural barriers, which cause extra expenses.