SeoulCatalonia opens a new phase in its international relations with its sights set on Asia. This is, at least, the intention of the President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, who this Saturday concludes his first official trip to the continent, which began this Monday in Japan and concluded in South Korea. Isla has not gone to these two countries to make grand announcements or to showcase an agenda with high-level political contacts, but rather to work on economic and cultural alliances that he hopes will bear fruit in a few years in new investments or understandings that will bring Catalonia closer to Asia, a continent the government does not want to lose sight of so as not to miss economic opportunities. To further strengthen relations with this region in the Trump era, Salvador Illa will travel to China the last week of July as part of the of the Generalitat’s strategy to turn Catalonia into a “reliable partner” of Asia in the coming years.
This is what Isla explained during a media briefing to review his trip to Japan and South Korea, two countries where he has begun this rapprochement with a continent that is home to 60% of the world’s population and will lead global economic growth in the coming years. Although he has not wanted to move forward, the Catalan leader has opened the door to the possibility of opening a delegation in the Asian giant, due to its geopolitical and commercial influence in the world. Among the new alliances he has established this week in Japan, he highlighted contacts with the Nikkei media group. and with the Kobe biomedical cluster”The purpose of this trip was to water and sow,” he reiterated. “In China, I don’t rule out a more political content,” he added.
More trips
After his first intercontinental trip, which he took advantage of to inaugurate Catalan Week at the Osaka World ExpoIlla has defended the need for the Generalitat to make its presence felt abroad in a world where international alliances are changing, always in collaboration with the Spanish embassies (which have accompanied the president throughout this trip). Does this mean the president will pack his bags to introduce Catalonia to the world? “Yes. We need to see a president of the Generalitat who travels a lot outside of Europe and also within Europe,” he argued.
In parallel, the Government is waiting to see how it will expand its network of delegations abroad, as agreed by the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party) and ERC (Spanish Regional Government) in the investiture agreement. For now, Isla has no plans to travel to the United States, but he doesn’t rule it out either. For the Government, the declared desire to strengthen relations with Asia doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning traditional collaborative relationships with the Americans.
AloJapan.com