Beijing Foreign Studies University will teach Catalan language

From http://www.diaridegirona.cat/espanya-internacional/2012/03/09/universitat-xinesa-ensenyara-catala-partir-lany-vinent/551272.html (in Catalan)

The Beijing Foreign Studies University has announced an agreement with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in order to start teaching Catalan language and culture in 2013, as part of the 4-year degree on Spanish Studies. This will be the first experience of its kind in a Chinese university.

Chinese Catalans, portrait of an emerging and entrepreneurial minority

From http://www.presencia.cat/index.php?Itemid=1080 (in Catalan)

[caption id="attachment_1316" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Cover of Presència 12 February 2012"][/caption]

Catalan weekly magazine Presència has devoted the main report of its last edition to the Chinese community living in Catalonia. The title of the report is "Chinese Catalans, portrait of an emerging and entrepreneurial minority" and it explains what is the situation of the growing Chinese population in Catalonia. Chinese immigrants are the fifth most numerous minority (around 50,000 inhabitants), after the Moroccans, Romanians, Ecuadorians and Bolivians, and they mostly live in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Out of those 50,000 inhabitants, some 8,000 are entrepreneurs, the highest percentage among any other group, including the natives.  The report also includes interviews with Jia Jia Wang, owner of Jia Jia Ediciones, a publishing company she created in order to help teach Chinese language to local children. Other interviews are those of Zheng Lingteng and Ma Yinping, teachers of Chinese at the Girona-based language school, Nipponia, and Lam Chuen Ping, president of the Association of Chinese Entrepreneurs of Catalonia. The scans of the report can be seen on the Sinalunya Flickr site.

Celebrations of Chinese New Year in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasia.cat/actividad/detalle?id=205220 (in Catalan)

Celebrations of Chinese New Year in Barcelona will be held from 27-29 January 2012 at the Moll de la Fusta, organized by the Union of Chinese Associations of Catalonia, the Barcelona City Council and Casa Àsia, among others. This year's events will include tastings of Catalan and Chinese gastronomy, and dance and martial arts exhibitions. The complete program can be downloaded as pdf on Casa Àsia website.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="360" caption="Chinese New Year 2012 in Barcelona - Image from Casa Àsia website"][/caption]

Catalan faucet company Sedal invests on a third factory in China - 加泰 罗尼亚水龙头公司Sedal在中国投资第三间工厂

From http://www.expansion.com/2012/01/10/catalunya/1326225125.html (in Spanish)

Catalan faucet and plumbing sector company Sedal has announced an investment between 3 and 5 million € to open a third factory in China, where already is employing 390 people. Located in Molins de Rei (Barcelona province), the company was acquired in 2007 by Landon Investments and this year is expected to reach a total sales of 24 million €. The new factory will be located in the Guangdong province and will produce ceramic discs for single hand faucets. Sedal is one of the world leaders in the production of ceramic cartridges, of which 2o million units per year can be produced on its Chinese factories.

Catalan company Beter introduces beauty products in China - 加泰罗尼亚的 公司-Beter-进军中国大陆

From http://www.icex.es/icex/cda/controller/pageICEX/0,6558,5518394_5519005_6366453_4545083,00.html (in Spanish)

2012 is expected to be a key year for Beter, the Catalan company leading the Spanish market of beauty and personal care complementary products, after their announcement of entering in the Brazilian and Chinese markets. Created in 1936, Beter designs and distributes nearly 1,000 products in specialized beauty and health care shops and pharmacies. Total sales in 2010 reached 18 million euro, an amount that is expected to grow in the next years, after their increasing projection abroad.

No Chery investment in Catalonia announced

From http://www.expansion.com/2011/12/14/catalunya/1323892444.html (in Spanish)

Despite the efforts of former Catalan president José Montilla (see http://sinalunya.com/2010/10/09/catalan-president-jose-montilla-visits-chery-company-in-china) and the hopes of the current president Artur Mas, (http://sinalunya.com/2011/04/30/chery-includes-catalonia-industrial-plans), the news arriving from China are not of the kind expected in Catalonia. Chery International Automobile Co. has announced an alliance with Israel Corporation to produce in China the cars aimed at the European market. Since 2007, both companies have been working together on the joint venture Chery Quantum Auto and in November 2011 they have presented in China the prototype of their new brand Qoros, which should be on sale in Europe by 2013. After this decision, the Catalan government is already on conversations with BMW's Chinese partner, Brilliance Auto, for its establishment in Catalonia.

Sabadell Chamber of Commerce and Industry organizes commercial mission to China

From http://agenda.acc10.cat/agenda/default.php?id=6849 (in Catalan)

The Sabadell Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organizing a commercial mission to China for April 15-21, 2012, specially addressed to companies of the following sectors: automotive, construction materials, engineering, electrical, plastics, chemical and consumer products. This mission has the support of the ACC1Ó office in Shanghai. The goals of this mission are: i) to promote Catalan companies in China; ii) to support the internationalization of Catalan companies; iii) to promote strategic alliances with Chinese partners; and iv) to evaluate potential investments in situ. Further information (in Catalan) can be obtained by downloading a pdf document from ACC1Ó website.

 

Catalan workshop on the development of Chinese tour operators

From http://workshops.catalunya.com/wsxina2011 (in Catalan)

The Catalan Tourism Agency has recently organized a workshop aimed at Chinese tour operators in order to bring tourists to Catalonia. The event has been designed to promote holiday and cultural packages and has been hosted by Casa Àsia in Barcelona.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Catalan workshop on Chinese tour operators (Image from workshop website)"][/caption]

China and Spain will sign a cooperation agreement on water management

From http://www.iagua.es/noticias/china/11/10/30/espana-y-china-firmaran-un-%E2%80%9Cmemorando-de-entendimiento-en-materia-de-recursos-de-agua%E2%80%9D-10848 (in Spanish)

The Spanish Minister of Environment, and Rural and Marine Environments, Mrs. Rosa Aguilar, has started an official trip to China aimed at showcasing the potential for exports of the Spanish food sector and also to reinforce the Spanish-Chinese cooperation on water management. She is expected to have a meeting with the Chinese Vice Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Hu Siyi, with whom she will sign a cooperation agreement on water management. Mrs. Rosa Aguilar will also introduce the leadership potential of Spanish water companies in order to help them get into the promising Chinese market.

Catalan companies seeking opportunities in the machinery sector in China

From http://www.anella.cat/web/portal/cercador-oportunitats/-/custom_publisher/7Nep/27513446/Oportunitats-de-negoci-en-el-sector-de-la-maquinaria-a-la-Xina (in Catalan)

ACC1Ó-Competitiveness for Catalonia has recently issued a 3-page dossier analyzing the situation of the machinery sector in China, aimed at the Catalan companies seeking opportunities in such a giant market. The document is composed of an analysis of the machinery sector in China, followed by a description of the business opportunities and a list of references and contacts, such as the China International Machinery Industry Exhibition, the China Yiwu International Machinery Industry Fair, the China International Machine Tool and the China Machinery Industry Federation (Chinese website). For further information, download the 3-page report (pdf file) and/or can contact Mrs. Isabel Gimeno (ialtarriba@acc10.cat) at the Centre for Internationalization within ACC1Ó-Competitiveness for Catalonia.

 

 

Workshop on intellectual and industrial property in China organized in Barcelona

From http://www.eic.es/wps/PA_Jornades/fitxa.jsp?codi=1083482 (in Catalan)

The College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia organizes a workshop on the intellectual and industrial property in China that will be held on October 10th, 2011 in their headquarters at Via Laietana 39, 5th floor, in Barcelona, at 6:30 pm. The workshop will allow to exchange opinions with experts on industrial property in China about regulations, procedures, registration (how to choose a Chinese name for a brand) and law application, among others. They will also report on experiences on these fields by Catalan companies already working on Chinese territory. For further information, call +34 933 192 304 (from 9 to 14 h and from 16 to 18 h).

Downloadables:

- Registration form for members

- Registration form for non-members

Chinese writer Diane Wei Liang presents her new book in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasia.es/actividad/detalle?id=203306 (in Spanish)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="La Casa del Espíritu Dorado - Diane Wei Liang - Ediciones Siruela"][/caption]

In the framework of a series of activities related to asian detective fiction literature, Casa Àsia and Ediciones Siruela have organized a meeting with Chinese writer Diane Wei Liang, who has recently released her third novel "The House of Golden Spirit", that has been translated into Spanish as "La Casa del Espíritu Dorado". After the success of "The eye of Jade" and "Paper butterfly", Diane Wei Liang has written a new story for her fictional character, the female detective Mei Wang. The plot on this new book is set on the city of Beijing after the Olympic Games of 2008, where Mei Wang has to deal with a noisy and busy environment, and with people whose only drive in life is money or power. Diane Wei Liang will be giving a talk entitled "Mei Wang's Beijing" ("El Pequín de la detectiu Mei Wang" (catalan) / "El Pequín de la detective Mei Wang" (Spanish)) and presenting her book in Barcelona on September 15th, 2011. The event will take place at the headquarters of Casa Àsia in Barcelona, Tagore Auditorium, Avinguda Diagonal, 373 and she will be introduced by Ofelia Grande, Director of Ediciones Siruela, and Rafael Bueno, Director of Politics and Society of Casa Àsia. One day earlier, a similar activity is scheduled in Madrid's Casa Asia's headquarters. An interview in Spanish with Diane Wei Liang can be dowloaded from Ediciones Siruela website, whereas Casa Àsia website also offers an invitation card to the event, both as pdf files. For further information contact casaasia@casaasia.es.

Taiwan leaps up to #6 in the world competitiveness ranking in 2010

From http://www.cepd.gov.tw/encontent/m1.aspx?sNo=0015529 (in English)

According to the newest edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY), the competitiveness of Taiwan's economy has kept on improving during 2010, as shown by the advancement of two positions, from #8 to #6, the best results ever achieved. The world ranking is led by Hong Kong (formerly in position #2), followed by the United States of America (formerly in position #3) and by Singapore (formerly in position #1). The rest of the Top 10 countries are Sweden (#4), Switzerland (#5), Canada (#7), Qatar (#8), Australia (#9) and Germany (#10). Spain is ranked at position #35. The scoreboard of the 59 most competitive countries in the world during 2010 can be downloaded at the IMD website.

Chinese-Catalan TV series starts on July 18th on Catalan channel TV3

From http://www.lavanguardia.com/television/20110712/54185009419/una-telenovela-chino-catalana-sustituye-a-la-riera-en-tv3-este-verano.html (in Spanish)

A truly original TV series will start being broadcast on July 18th on TV3, the publicly owned Catalan channel. This new TV series is a co-production by China and Catalonia and will be offered during the early aftenoon prime time of the summer 2011. Its title is "Secrets de Xangai" (Secrets of Shanghai), is mainly focused on human relationships (love, passion, intrigue) and consists of 23 episodes. The only Catalan main role is played by actress Montse Alcoverro, who's character is a Catalan woman that lives in Barcelona and that is married to a man that left China more than 20 years ago and that has been able to create a big company in Spain. The pleasant life of the couple, that has a 20-year old son named Josep, is broken when the husband decides to go back to China to look for the woman and the wife he left there.

The series has already been broadcast during February and March 2011 in China, on the Dragon TV channel, and has been followed by more than 100 million fans. It was originally filmed in English and the length of the chapters has been adapted for the different tastes of the audiences -shorter episodes in Catalonia and longer in China-.

The trailer of the series can be watched at http://www.tv3.cat/videos/3619010/Estrena-de-Secrets-de-Xangai until July 18th, 2011

http://www.tv3.cat/3alacarta/#/videos/36190

President Artur Mas offers Catalonia to Chinese companies as base for SW Europe

From http://premsa.gencat.cat/pres_fsvp/AppJava/notapremsavw/detall.do?id=115170 (in Catalan)

The president of the Catalan government, Artur Mas, has offered Catalonia to Chinese companies to estabish in the area and to use it as a base for expanding their businesses to south western Europe, northern Africa and the Mediterranean area.  In his speech at the 6th edition of the Spain China Forum, Artur Mas has announced that government is working to make Catalonia attractive for foreign investors, specially for Chinese companies. He has also stated that Catalonia is already the Spanish autonomous community with a greater relationship with China and that with every passing day there is an increase in the relationship between companies from both countries, as well as an increase in both the trading and touristic activities. Finally, he has remembered the Chinese community in Catalonia (around 50,000 people) and how their roots are getting deeper into the Catalan society.

Cafe Networking in Barcelona: Exploring East Asian markets for textile industry

From http://agenda.acc10.cat/agenda/default.php?id=6317 (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Cafè Networking (image from L'Anella website)"][/caption]

On Tuesday July 5th, 2011, ACC1Ó-Competitiveness for Catalonia is organizing a 2-hour meeting in Barcelona in order to facilitate productive networking between businessmen and entrepreneurs in the textile and fashion industries that are either interested in internationalizing their products and/or services, or that are already established and doing business in China and India. The goals of this session are: i) to detect opportunities for collaboration, i.e., for joint export;  ii) to exchange information and experiences about the strategies to enter these markets; iii) to identify synergies with competitors for project cooperation; iv) to meet potential partners, suppliers and clients; and v) to discover business opportunities in these sectors and markets.

The session will start with the presentation of a list of good business practices by a representative of the Catalan textile company Punto Blanco, by David Garcia, head of the Platform for Production and Sale promoted by ACC1Ó in Hong Kong, and an expert on East Asian markets from ACC1Ó. Right after these presentations, there will be the speed meeting session, which consists of 5-minute meetings between professionals, to finish with an open networking session during the coffee break.

China's consumer price index grows by 5.5 per cent in May 2011

From http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-06/14/c_13928164.htm (in English)

China's consumer price index (CPI) rose to its highest level in the last 34 months, reaching a 5.5% growth year-on-year. In the first five months of 2011, the CPI has grown by 5.2% year-on-year. These already high inflation rates are expected to even rise a little bit above 6% in June, according to experts. Food prices, which account for almost one third of the basket of goods for the calculation of CPI, increased by 11.7% in May from a year earlier, whereas the growth of non-food prices also increased by 2.9% in the same period.

6th edition of the Spain China Forum in Barcelona

From http://chinaclubspain.blogspot.com/2011/06/vi-edicion-de-foro-espana-china.html (in Spanish)

On July 5th and 6th, 2011, the Barcelona World Trade Center will host the 6th edition of the Spain China Forum. It will have three Plenary Sessions that will be aimed at promoting economic relationships between the two countries. The Forum will be presided by the two co-Presidents: Mr. Pedro Solbes (Spain) and Mrs. Uyunqing (China).

6,000 Chinese travel agents will learn about tourism in Catalonia

From http://comunicatur.info/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1665&Itemid=1 (in Catalan)

The Guangzhou University and the Catalan Toursim Agency (ACT, Agència Catalana de Turisme) have prepared an online course aimed at teaching Chinese travel agents about Catalonia and its touristic resources. This course will be followed by 6,000 professional travel agents of Hong Kong and of the Guangdong province in July and October 2011 and it will consist of 21 units prepared by both Catalan and Chinese professors at the Guangzhou University. According to the Catalan government, this is a pioneer initiative in the Chinese market and if it turns to be successful it could be later applied to other Chinese provinces or to other Asian countries. China has become one of the most important touristic sources in the world and in Catalonia alone it has grown by a 40% in the last 5 years. The city of Barcelona was the main destination of the 65,000 Chinese tourists that came to Catalonia in 2010.

China may receive an office for the promotion of Catalan economy

From http://www.expansion.com/2011/05/23/catalunya/1306150709.html (in Spanish)

Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Francesc Xavier Mena, has declared that the opening of new offices for the promotion of Catalan economy in emerging markets is currently under evaluation. He has met with directors of the business promotion network ACC1Ó from worldwide in order to analyze these possibilities in the light of the limited funding by the Catalan administration. China, Brazil and India, for promotion of businesses, and United States and the Asia-Pacific region, for promotion of tourism, are candidates to see receive these new offices. ACC1Ó, the agency responsible for the promotion of competitiveness of Catalan economy, has 34 of these offices located worldwide that give support to Catalan companies working in 70 different markets.