The Jiangsu (Nantong) - Spain, Portugal and Italy Cooperation and Exchanges Conference was held near Zilang Lake in Nantong on March 28.
The evet was jointly organized by the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangsu Provincial Government and Nantong Municipal Government. Officials from the consulate generals of the three countries in Shanghai, representatives from tourism authorities and business organizations, and those from key companies joined the gathering to exchange ideas, seek new opportunities amid the province’s high-quality development, and enhance partnerships.
As a major province in China’s opening up to the outside world, Jiangsu has earnestly implemented the consensus reached by heads of state in recent years and actively promoted friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with the three countries. In China, the province has stood out for the most frequent and fruitful exchanges in Sino-European cooperation.
Currently, Jiangsu’s 22 cities have established sister-city relationships with counterparts in the three countries. In particular, Wuxi City and Cascais City marked the first sister-city tie after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal. The China-Italy eco-park in Hai’an, a county-level city under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Nantong, is gradually becoming a hub of Italian SMEs. Kunshan Mondragon Industrial Park, established with strong backup from Mondragon Group, has become an industrial hub with the most Spanish investment in China.
In addition, Jiangsu opened a freight train service linking Milan last year, further stimulating the participation of two sides in the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2022, the total import and export volume between Jiangsu and the three countries exceeded $17 billion, amid the increased economic and trade cooperation.
Luis Calvo, Consul General of Spain in Shanghai, and Sílvia Inácio, Consul General of Portugal in Shanghai, delivered speeches at the meeting and both expressed strong confidence of cooperation with Jiangsu. They also stated that Jiangsu would be a gateway for enterprises of the two countries to enter the Chinese market, and more efforts are needed to expand cooperation in two-way investment, tourism and international direct flights.
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