Malaga business owners travel to China in search of opportunities

The Círculo Empresarial de Málaga (Malaga business circle) completed at the beginning of June a trade and institutional mission to China that has strengthened the presence of Andalusian companies in one of the world's most dynamic markets.

The initiative, which took place between 1 and 6 June in the cities of Yantai and Beijing, was jointly promoted by the Malaga business circle and the Asociación La Nueva Era Ibero-China, with institutional backing and strategic support from the local governments of Yantai and the Chaoyang district (Beijing).

The delegation comprised entrepreneurs from various productive sectors in Malaga province and Andalucía. It aimed to strengthen economic ties, identify opportunities for collaboration and foster the opening of new trade channels.

"This mission has demonstrated that Malaga-based companies have the capacity to compete and grow in any market in the world. Our objective was to open doors and generate valuable contacts, because internationalisation is no longer an option, but a necessity to gain competitiveness," head of the business circle Francisco Javier Jiménez Badía said.

"We are very proud to see the interest that Malaga and our companies generate and see that our city has an increasingly recognised and respected brand internationally," he said.

Jiménez noted that "China represents one of the world's major economic hubs" and that it is essential "to establish relationships that can translate into investment, exports and new business projects".

Representatives from ten companies in Malaga and one from Cordoba participated in this institutional and commercial mission, covering key sectors for the province's economy.

The delegation met with representatives of Yantai and Beijing's economic and business fabrics.

The first of the meetings (the Yantai-Malaga economic and trade cooperation forum) let to the signing of a bilateral agreement before Deputy Mayor of Yantai Sui Zilin and director of the regional trade office Yang Donglin. The meeting garnered significant media attention, broadcast on Shandong provincial television, a region with a population of nearly 100 million.

The second meeting (the Yantai-Malaga market exchange forum) launched a collaboration framework with Xu Chunyan, director of the market service centre, offering Malaga companies a permanent exhibition space in premises and shopping centres in China to continuously promote Spanish products, mainly from the agri-food sector.

The Malaga delegation participated in a third milestone during this trip, this time in the Chinese capital: the China-Spain business cooperation and investment protection forum at the headquarters of one of the China's largest law firms in the Chaoyang district.

The event generated enormous interest in the Asian giant, with Jennie Cheng (representative of the chamber of commerce) in attendance and over 3,000 professionals following it live online.

In addition to the institutional activity, which included a reception at the Shandong institute of hospitality and tourism (with more than 10,000 students), the Malaga delegation learnt firsthand about the productive and technological fabric of the Asian superpower.

In Yantai, the delegation visited the facilities of Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Co (China's largest winery), the city's port and industrial complexes focused on wind (such as Goldwind), solar, timber and biotechnology.

Meanwhile, the agenda in Beijing centred on the digital economy and advanced industry, with technical visits to the headquarters of global giants like Xiaomi (a leader in mobile phones and technology), JD.com (a global leader in e-commerce) and BAIC (an iconic automotive corporation).

This mission represents a further step in the business circle's international outreach strategy and consolidates its commitment to generating real opportunities for Malaga's business community in high-growth potential markets.

"The role of the Círculo is to find opportunities and be present where they arise. Our commitment is to continue building bridges that help Malaga's companies grow, innovate and compete in an increasingly global environment," Jiménez stated.