What has Salvador Illa done in Vietnam and Singapore?

BarcelonaSalvador Illa will close the political year with his third trip to Asia. After visiting Japan, South Korea, and China, the President of the Generalitat returns this Thursday from his five-day trip to Vietnam and Singapore, marking the first time a head of the Catalan executive has traveled to the southeast of the Asian continent. The objective was to strengthen economic ties with the business sector of these two countries, and the president's agenda has been eminently economic. Thus, for example, Illa met with executives from Vietnam Airlines to explore the possibility of creating a direct flight between Hanoi and Barcelona. However, the president's agenda also included institutional meetings with the country's authorities, such as the one he held this Wednesday with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong (who leads the People's Action Party, of centrist-conservative leanings). Housing was one of the issues discussed by the two leaders, a topic that Illa has precisely placed at the center of his political agenda.

From this meeting, the president opened himself up to studying Singapore's public housing management, as the country's housing stock is considered a benchmark model because it houses approximately 80% of its population, according to data from the Singaporean government. The two leaders also set as their objective collaboration between the ports of Singapore and Catalonia, as well as cooperation in research, innovation, and putting artificial intelligence "at the service of the common good." Illa and Wong also agreed on the intention to facilitate the implementation of Catalan companies in Singapore and to strengthen direct air connections. In fact, this Thursday Illa will meet with Singapore Airlines, which at the beginning of this year announced an increase from 3 to 5 direct flights to Barcelona during this summer. Furthermore, it had also planned to definitively eliminate intermediate stops and consolidate the direct flight throughout the year.

The economic agenda

The head of the Catalan executive also met with the European Union (EU) ambassador to Singapore, Artis Bērtulis, to learn how the country's relationship with Europe is articulated, following the free trade agreement with the EU. And on Tuesday, he met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Gia Tuc, with whom they agreed to explore possible collaborations with Vietnam on football training in the Asian country. In addition, Illa offered the Vietnamese leader Catalonia's experience in sustainable tourism management.

In the economic sphere, in addition to the meeting with Vietnam Airlines, Illa attended the signing of a collaboration agreement between Acció and the National Innovation Centre of Vietnam so that large companies from both countries can collaborate in technology and innovation. Furthermore, he was present at the signing of an agreement between the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and its counterpart in Vietnam to promote the internationalization of companies, bilateral trade, and investments. The president, at the same time, visited some Catalan companies established in Vietnam, such as the multinationals Simon, Relats, and Tucai.