Gansu and Navarre to promote comprehensive cooperation

Private entrepreneurs in China's Gansu province are following up the business connections they developed with their counterparts in Navarre, Spain in a wide range of fields such as olive oil, red wine, food analysis and test, water treatment, heating tech, tourism and vocational education.

These business connections were established during a delegation visit organized by Gansu Provincial Foreign Affairs Office to Spain from Oct 23 to 26.

The delegation which consists of sectors from the province including foreign affairs, commerce, tourism, industry, science and technology, non-governmental chambers of commerce and the grassroots city Jiayuguan visited Spanish Navarre, Madrid and Barcelona.

During the visit, the delegation was invited to attend the second Navarra International Day, which was held since 2017 and was attended by representatives from 9 countries for 2018. The Government of Navarra established Gansu Province as a guest-of-honor province for the event, showcasing the great importance attached to friendship between Gansu and Navarra.

Manu Ayerdi, the executive vice governor of Navarra, said at the opening ceremony of the Navarre-Gansu Economic and Trade Forum held during the International Day of Navarre, that the priorities for both Navarre and Gansu are to promote the bilateral cooperation in such fields as culture, education, agriculture, manufacturing, renewable energy and medical treatment, which have already been promoted by both the governments.

Shang Xunwu, the Vice Chairman of Gansu Provincial Committee of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference, said at the forum that the International Day organized by the government of Navarre shows a win-win attitude towards an open and globalized cooperation, which is in line with the spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative by Chinese government.

He said that the implementation of BRI may provide a broad horizon for the practical cooperation between Gansu and Navarra.

The delegation also visited places including the National Centre for Food Technology and Safety and the National Renewable Energy Center.

The visit is one of the pragmatic exchanges following the bilateral cooperation memo signed in 2017 between Gansu and Navarra, a sister community for Gansu Province.

According to the memo, the two parties in Navarra and Gansu will also enhance exchanges by carrying out a series of initiatives including creating effective incubators for business in respective areas and encouraging Navarre universities to exchanges with their counterparts in Gansu.