- He highlights the opportunity that it represents for Galicia for Chinese companies to decide to invest or open new business lines in the region
- The president and the minister for Economy and Industry will visit leading companies in the automotive and renewable‑energy sectors
- “We are going to emphasise that we are a safe place to invest and that we have many advantages to offer to those who choose to bet on us,” he said
- They will also meet with Chinese tourism operators to promote the Xacobeo 2027 and “Galicia as a destination”
Santiago de Compostela, 22 April 2026
The president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, will begin tomorrow his first official trip to China to explore new commercial and tourism‑related ties with the Asian country. Over three days, the head of the regional government, accompanied by the minister for Economy and Industry, María Jesús Lorenzana, will hold meetings with companies in key sectors such as the automotive industry and renewable energy, as well as with Chinese tourism operators.
As Rueda explained, the aim of this visit is to consolidate relations with a country “with enormous potential, which is growing and offers very many opportunities” to promote new investments by Chinese companies in Galicia. The president will emphasise the institutional stability and legal certainty offered by the region, which make Galicia an attractive place to invest and set up new business lines.
On the first day, Rueda will visit the SAIC Motors R&D centre, a leading automotive company in China. After touring the Anting R&D centre that SAIC has in Shanghai, the Galician delegation will travel to Beijing to meet the company’s president, Xiaoqiu Wang, and other senior executives.
On Friday, Rueda and Lorenzana will visit the Beijing Auto Show and hold a meeting with representatives of Goldwind, one of the world’s leading suppliers of wind‑turbine equipment. The economic agenda will conclude on Saturday with a visit to the battery factory that SAIC Motors has in Zhengzhou.
“We will try to find common ground on the aspects that interest us most,” he said, adding that “we will highlight that we are a safe place to invest and that we have many advantages to offer those who choose to bet on us.”
This trip fits within the contacts that the Galician regional administration has been maintaining in order to seize potential cooperation opportunities between Galicia and the Asian country.
Among other initiatives, in September a forum took place in Santiago de Compostela between companies from the autonomous community and from China, and in November officials from the Department of Economy and Industry travelled to the country to facilitate business contacts. At this stage, the Igape office in China is playing a key role in identifying opportunities and reinforcing Galician companies’ presence.
It should be recalled that, at present, 190 Galician companies are permanently present in China and 43% export to the country on a stable basis.
Tourism relations
In tourism, the Xunta has been working for some time to bring Galicia closer to more international markets, including China. Rueda will hold a meeting with several Chinese tourism operators “to present Galicia as a destination; our culture, landscapes, heritage…”, placing particular emphasis on the opportunity offered by the Camino de Santiago to attract new tourists – the number of Chinese pilgrims is on an upward trend – and on the Xacobeo 2027.
