Relations between ORU's regions and the Chinese provinces gain momentum
The second vice-president of ORU Fogar and director of Foreign Affairs and of the Basque Government, Leyre Madariaga, has visited the Chinese province of Jiangsu, to follow up the agreement between the autonomous community and the province, signed in 2012.
Jiangsu, with a population of 76.7 million, has emerged as one of China's strongest provinces, boasting the second highest nominal GDP. Its growing infrastructures and industrial zones have attracted the attention of foreign investment, which places it at the top of the Asian giant's list of destinations. There are more than 912,000 private companies already established in the province, including 41 Basque companies.
Since 2012, Jiangsu and the Basque Government have been maintaining a Collaboration Agreement, making this territory one of the members of the Basque Government's Strategic Partners Network in matters of external relations. It is an agreement that has enabled the two intermediate governments to collaborate in areas such as the environment, culture, R&D or universities.
During her trip, the second vice-president of ORU Fogar has maintained contacts with the provincial authorities, as well as with the authorities of Qiandeng and Kunshan, municipalities close to Shanghai, where the Basque Mondragón Group has an industrial park.
In parallel and during the same days, just before taking part in the World Urban Forum in Malaysia, ORU Fogar's Secretary General, Carles Llorens, also visited Beijing and met Li Xikui, Secretary General of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. This visit continued the relationship between ORU Fogar and this association of the Chinese public diplomacy, reviewed various joint projects and agreed to promote bilateral relations between ORU Fogar's regions and the Chinese provinces.
It must be said, in this regard, that the Moroccan region of Rabat Salé Kénitra is also making progress in drawing up an agreement with the province of Zhejiang.
