On September 17, a delegation from the Junta de Extremadura, led by Guillermo Santamaría Galdón, counselor for Economy, Employment and Digital Transformation, visited Shanghai. During their stay, they participated in the Extremadura Investment Forum, visited the scientific-technological park Oasis Inteligente del Delta del Yangtsé · Zhaoxiang, and attended the main presentation «In Shanghai · Meeting with the Future — Tour of Multinational Companies through Shanghai», as well as the official dinner. The visit revolved around cross-border investment, technological cooperation, and industrial linkage.
01 Investment Forum:
Presenting strategic advantages, building bridges between China and Spain
On the morning of September 17, the Extremadura Investment Forum was held at the International Business Development Service Center in Hongqiao, Shanghai. The forum, organized by the Extremadura Government, focused on the strategic advantages, investment prospects, and industrial cooperation opportunities of the region, and was attended by representatives from the political, business, and academic spheres of China and Spain.
During his speech, Minister Santamaría presented the strategic advantages and investment prospects of Extremadura. Located in the southwest of Spain, Extremadura is a key enclave that connects the Iberian Peninsula with the European, Latin American and North African markets, and has a significant industrial and investment potential in sectors such as renewable energy, smart agriculture, biomedicine, aeronautics and digital transformation.
During the forum, the Government of Extremadura and representatives of a large Chinese technology innovation business group signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in technological innovation and industrial investment. Subsequently, the guests held a free exchange of views on cross-border investment and cooperation.
02 Tour of Multinational Companies in Shanghai:
Foreign capital is redoubling its investment in the Chinese market
Photo source: www.ce.cn
On September 17, the main presentation «In Shanghai · Meeting the Future — Tour of Multinational Enterprises in Shanghai» was held at the Dongjiao Hotel. The event, co-organized by the city of Shanghai and CITIC Group, and sponsored by the Office of the Shanghai Investment Promotion Steering Group and the Shanghai CITIC Bank, its branch in Shanghai, brought together more than 220 entrepreneurs, representatives of sectoral organizations, and investment institutions from 24 countries and regions. CITIC Group, together with international capital, launched the initiative «Connecting Shanghai with the world, investing in China.».
The presentation unveiled the industrial cooperation opportunities in Shanghai. Currently, Shanghai is accelerating the construction of the «five centers,» with more than 1,100 regional headquarters of multinational companies established in the city, and the three pioneering clusters—integrated circuits, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence—are in full swing. The event facilitated a set of Sino-foreign cooperation projects covering areas such as innovation incubators, aviation supply bases, multinational headquarters, and biomedical production lines. The model of foreign investment in Shanghai is also changing: from mere factory construction and capacity expansion to technological cooperation, joint construction of ecosystems, and mutual benefit.
Photo source: CCTV 2
«In 2023, we established permanent representative offices in Beijing and Shanghai. We are very happy; I believe this is our way of building a mutually beneficial relationship. The establishment of Chinese companies has effectively boosted the economic growth of our region, created jobs, and increased wages—all thanks to the support of Chinese companies.»
—— Guillermo Santamaría Galdón, Minister of Economy, Employment and Digital Transformation of the Junta de Extremadura
03 Visit to the park:
Oasis Smart Delta of the Yangtsé River · Zhaoxiang
On September 17, the delegation also visited the «Yangtze Delta Smart Oasis · Zhaoxiang» park. Responsible for the visit were officials from the Industrial Investment Division of the Shanghai Commission of Information Technology and Economy, the Qingpu District Scientific Innovation Group, the CITIC Bank, the Yangtze Delta Demonstration Zone branch, Huangpu River Capital, and Shanghai Chuangshimi Deep Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. On behalf of the park, Cai Zheyu, Secretary of the Party and General Manager of the Zhaoxiang Yangtze Delta Smart Oasis, and staff from the industrial promotion and technological innovation centers received the delegation.
The delegation visited the Planning Exhibition Center of the Yangtzou Delta Investment Company, where they were able to experience the park environment up close alongside the water and the atmosphere of the scientific and technological incubation spaces. As a benchmark park in the Yangtzou Delta Demonstration Zone, the «Smart Oasis · Zhaoxiang» made a deep impression on the members of the delegation due to its privileged location, comprehensive services, industrial concentration, and technological innovation ecosystem. This exchange strengthened mutual trust and created a good opportunity to explore new avenues of cooperation.
Photo source: Shanghai Communications Industry Association
During this visit to Shanghai, the Extremadura delegation advanced on three parallel fronts: the investment forum, the tour of multinational companies in Shanghai, and the visit to the park. It presented its strategic advantages in a thematic forum, made itself known on the platform for connecting with global capital represented by the tour of multinational companies, and visited a Yangtsé Delta innovation park on the ground.
The innovation ecosystem and the industrial concentration capacity of Shanghai, together with Extremadura’s location as a gateway to the EU and its potential in green energy, are shaping a channel of mutually beneficial collaboration. In the next steps, both parties will leverage the results of the forum and the signed memorandum to continue promoting direct contact between companies from both territories and consolidate cooperation.
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