SANTA CRUZ TENERIFE MARCH 2014
INTRODUCING WEST AFRICA’S CHINA GATEWAY AT TENERIFE
The aigo Entrepreneurs Alliance was founded in 2011 to promote leading brands from China’s rapidly growing private sector. AEA is driven by the goal of helping more private Chinese businesses to become truly global enterprises and contributing corporate citizens worldwide.
During the visit the Chinese delegation commented on the Ports of the Spanish-owned island as an ideal gateway to Africa where China is acquiring a massive presence. China sources about two thirds of its imports from Angola, South Africa and Sudan.
The goal of ‘China Gateway’ is to create a “Home from Home” for Chinese companies going global by zoning areas in Ports specifically for Trade with China. The goal is to standardise the development of these parks in such a way to provide economies of scale, consistency, reliability, standardisation and add value to services rendered. Potentially ‘China Gateway’ will become a trademark associated with excellence in doing business with China.
The visit follows that of former President of China, Hu Jintao, who met the Deputy Prime Minister of Spain, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaria, on the Island in 2012 in an effort to strengthen economic bonds between the two countries which were already enjoying historic diplomatic highs. The visit was part of a larger tour which included visits to by the AEA to three of GIL’s Chairports, Zeebrugge, Cork and Tenerife to show that Port Centric investment provides a distinct advantage in planning global distribution and manufacturing systems.
The largest of the Canary islands, Tenerife boasts the most efficient stevedores in Spain with an average of 30 movements per hour. There are also ongoing plans to build a third port in the South of the Island near the Reina Sofía Airport – Granadilla de Abona with an industrial area of 1,800 m2
