Tous expects to return to China and outnumber 450 stores by 2013

From http://www.flytobarcelona.org/?p=7460 (in English)

Rosa Tous announced that the return of Catalan jewellery Tous to China could take place this year. Three years ago, the company closed all stores in China had after breaking the contract with their local partner. Since then, the Manresa-based company has been looking for another group to return to the Asian giant. “We must be very careful in choosing our partner, but when we find it, we will come into the market in China with force,” she said. Tous jewellery chain is accelerating its international expansion and plans to open 40 stores in 2013, compared to the 30 jewellery stores it opened last year. The director of corporate relations for the company said yesterday that the openings will focus on markets where the chain already has a presence, with the aim of consolidating the brand.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Tous jewellery shop in L'Illa shopping mall in Barcelona (image from Tous Wikipedia entry)[/caption]

Industrias Químicas del Vallés to open subsidiaries in China and the United States

From http://www.flytobarcelona.org/?p=7358 (in English)

Catalan company Industrias Químicas del Vallés (IQV) announced the launch of two new subsidiaries in Valdosta, Georgia (United States) and Beijing (China) to augment its organizational structure abroad and continue increasing exports. These new subsidiaries will strengthen its presence in two of the world's main markets for phytosanitary products, doubling exports to those countries and reinforcing the company's commitment to international expansion. Based in Mollet del Vallès (Barcelona province), Industrias Químicas del Vallés already exports more than 50% of its production. Industrias Químicas del Vallés is investing in the United States and China in order to obtain the necessary authorization to market other products from its catalogue. These new openings are in addition to the subsidiaries the company already has in Spain, Italy and Portugal; local partnerships in Greece; and the 55 countries where Industrias Químicas del Vallés markets its products.

Round table about "The Coming Asia" organized in Barcelona

From http://www.jordipujol.cat/ca/butllet/articles/13832 (in Catalan)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="180"] Cover of Via20 magazine (from the website of the Centre d'Estudis Jordi Pujol)[/caption]

On the occasion of the presentation of the magazine VIA 20, on March 21st, 2013, the Centre d'Estudis Jordi Pujol (think tank run by the former Catalan president Jordi Pujol) has organized a round table to analyze "L'Àsia que ve", The coming Asia. The event will have three of the authors that have published articles in the central dossier of the magazine, which are Jaume Giné ("El segle asiàtic", The Asian Century), Amadeu Jensana ("Societat i valors al Japó", Society and Values in Japan) and David Murillo ("La identitat asiàtica", Asian Identity). Miquel Calsina, director of the Centre d'Estudis Jordi Pujol, will act as moderator. Anoher interesting article in the same issue is "Què pensa la nova Xina" (What does the new China think), by Mark Leonard.

BarcelonaTech will select technological companies for the Barcelona Smart City Campus in Hong Kong

From http://www.upc.edu/saladepremsa/al-dia/mes-noticies/la-upc-escollira-les-start-ups-catalanes-del-barcelona-smart-city-campus-a-hong-kong (in Catalan)

As a result of the summer 2012 business mission to China and Hong Kong by Barcelona‘s Mayor, Xavier Trias, the Barcelona City Council and the Hong Kong Scientific and Technological Parks Corporation (香 港 科 技 園) have created the Barcelona Smart City Campus to promote the landing of the most innovative Catalan companies in the Chinese market.

The signature of the agreement for the creation of the Barcelona Smart City Campus by the Third Deputy Mayor of the Barcelona City Council, Antoni Vives, and the President of the Hong Kong Scientific and Technological Parks Corporation, Nicholas Brooke, took place in the Barcelona City Hall on March 8th, 2013, in the presence of the Vice-Rector for International Policy of the Catalonia Politechnical University (UPC), Prof. Pedro Díez.

The Barcelona City Council and the Catalonia Politechnical University will elaborate a business development program to attract the most innovative Catalan proposals to the Barcelona Smart City Campus, located in Hong Kong. The task of the Catalonia Politechnical University, through its Innovation and Research Park, will consist in selecting the Catalan start-up companies created less than two years ago that will be allowed to establish themselves in the Hong Kong Scientific and Technological Park, where they will take part in the business incubation programs Incu-Tech, Incu-Bio and Incu-Apps.

Apart from the creation of this program, the agreement is also aimed at creating new business opportunities in both regions, at stimulating the exchange of innovative business initiatives and at promoting entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer and economic growth.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] Signature of the Barcelona Smart City Campus (from the UPC website)[/caption]

Sinalunya mentioned in Catalan weekly magazine Presència

On Sunday, March 17th 2011, our blog was highlighted for the second time on the internet pages of the Catalan weekly magazine Presència, thanks to the recent interview by the Catalan News Agency. We would like to thank them for including Sinalunya again in their section.

[caption id="attachment_2055" align="alignleft" width="174"] Cover of Presència 17 March 2013[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2054" align="alignleft" width="174"] Sinalunya - Presència 17 March 2013[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2056" align="alignleft" width="300"] Detail of the Sinalunya piece - Presència 17 March 2013[/caption]

 

Spanish translation of "Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China" presented in Barcelona

From http://www.casaasia.eu/actividad/detalle?id=210011 (in English)

Casa Àsia in Barcelona will be presenting the Spanish translation of the 1989 book by Angus Charles Graham entitled "Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China". Awarded with a Ruy de Clavijo Scholarship by Casa Àsia, the translation into Spanish has been carried out by Daniel Stern under the title "El Dao en disputa: la argumentación filosófica en la China antigua". The event will be presented by Rafael Bueno, Director of Politics and Society of Casa Àsia and the lecture will be delivered by Albert Galvany, teacher and Marie Curie resesarcher in the Department of Humanities of the University Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona, and Daniel Stern, as translator of the book. The presentation will be carried out on March 19th, 2013, at 7 pm at the Casa Àsia headquarters, Diagonal Avenue 373, Barcelona.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="560"] Cover of "El Dao en disputa" from Casa Àsia website[/caption]

Sinalunya featured in some Catalan media

Links:

• http://www.acn.cat/acn/704605/Noticia/text/Noticia.html


• http://www.vilaweb.cat/noticia/4090748/20130303/sinalunya-projecte-multidisciplinari-potenciar-relacions-xina-taiwan-singapur-catalunya.html


• http://www.lavanguardia.com/encatala/20130303/54367958384/sinalunya-un-projecte-multidisciplinari-per-potenciar-les-relacions-entre-xina-taiwan-singapur-i.html

Recently our project has been featured in some Catalan media, thanks to the journalist of the Catalan News Agency, Nerea Guisasola, who interviewed us a couple of weeks ago. The news has written text and a picture, but also a piece of audio was featured on the radio. We would like to thank her for helping us to spread the word of what we would like to do and also for writing about our project in such an enthusiastic way.

[caption id="attachment_2034" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Sinalunya team: Chia-Chi Liao and Lluís Sala[/caption]