Spanish Minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism
Jose Manuel Soria Lopez flew to China from Madrid on Tuesday evening to
open the VII edition of the Hispano-China Forum.
Before boarding his plane en-route to Beijing, Soria had an interview
with Xinhua on various issues such as investment opportunities in both
countries and how Spain is attempting to open the doors for more Chinese
tourists.
The VII edition of the Hispano-China Forum comes in the same year the
two countries celebrate 40 years of diplomatic relations. Recent years
have seen the forging of ever closer economic ties between the two
nations and the minister will be meeting his Chinese counterpart as well
as meeting with the Bank of Beijing and a group of Spanish companies
with investments in China as well as Chinese businesspeople.
He told Xinhua that China offers great opportunities for Spaniards
looking to invest abroad, explaining that on his last visit to the
country, he had visited a car factory owned by a Spanish group, where
those working there explained to him China was the biggest and most
interesting market in the world.
"That is the reason so many Spanish companies see China as increasingly interesting," he said.
Meanwhile China's economic growth has opened the door for more
consuming and as such allowing countries such as Spain which are able to
find their way into market for high quality goods. "It is a very
interesting market for us," admitted Soria.
"Spain offers opportunities based on the credibility and the
confidence that the Spanish economy offers," he said, highlighting how
the Spanish government believes the country is now on the road to
recovery after several difficult years of economic crisis.
He highlighted the flexibility in the job market, the lower costs of
borrowing from abroad and the sweeping range of reforms passed by the
Popular Party government, all of which he believes means "industrial
companies are returning to Spain."
"We are also seeing how telecommunications countries are showing
increase interest in Spain, while the public deficit is falling, in part
thanks to exports and tourists. Spain is an attractive economy in which
to invest," he insisted.
Soria told Xinhua that if he was back in time on Friday he would
present a new telecommunications law for approval in the weekly cabinet
meeting.
"If you compare what has happened in telecommunications over the last
10 years, it has been a revolution and we have to adapt. The aim of the
law is make the rules more flexible to allow the operators to carry out
the necessary investment in ultra-rapid speed and Long Term Evolution
(LTE-4G) infrastructure. We have to favor this kind of investment," he
explained.
"There are many investment opportunities in Spain; there are
opportunities in the industrial sector, there are opportunities in
telecommunications and tourism and in the agricultural sector and in the
property market and all of that is beginning to generate a new flow of
investment to Spain, so that those who come can invest in the best
conditions," said Soria.
The minister will also transmit the message that Spain's privileged
geographical position in the south of Europe from where it not only
faces north to the rest of the continent, but also south towards Africa
and west to Latin America makes the country a tempting place for
investors.
"There are many reasons to think that," he said.
"China is a country that is growing and positioning itself in these
markets and logically Spain, as a platform can help give access to these
places," he explained.
The wide scope of his ministry means Soria is also in charge of tourism and Chinese tourism is especially interesting to Spain.
Highlighting a growing number of Chinese tourists coming to Spain, he
explained that in 2012, 177,000 Chinese tourists came to Spain, which
was "a considerable increase on the previous year."
Meanwhile the first seven months of 2013 already saw 112,000 Chinese tourists visit the country, a rise of over 30 percent.
"In Spain we are trying to attract increasing numbers of Chinese
tourists," said Soria, who added he had spoken to tour operators in
China during his last visit and would use this visit to speak to more.
"We think that China in the next few years is one of the most strategic markets that Spain has," he commented.
However, there are two "bottlenecks," which are slowing down the
growth in tourist numbers: delays in getting tourist visas and the fact
that there is only one direct flight every day between China and Spain
and the Spanish government is working to unplug both of them.
The minister said they have strengthened consular services in China,
while "tourist offices in Spain are contributing to make the system more
agile and flexible for Chinese people looking for visas to come to
Spain."
The minister also said that Spain are willing "do what has to be done
within Spanish legislation to open the doors to Chinese airlines who
want to operate with Spain."
No comments:
Post a Comment