The Government of Navarra signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last week with the Chinese city of Chongqing at the CISCE trade fair, held in Beijing. The agreement, signed by the Regional Minister for Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition, Mikel Irujo, reinforces Navarre’s internationalisation strategy towards China and opens new avenues for industrial and commercial collaboration between both territories.
A strategic link with Hithium’s home city
Chongqing is no ordinary city for Navarra. Home to 30 million inhabitants and the gigafactory of Hithium — the Chinese company that will establish its first plant in the European Union in the Navarrese region — this agreement takes on a particularly strategic dimension. In the words of Minister Irujo, the bond with Chongqing «will help us create a link between both territories, facilitating cooperation and fostering the development of the entire supply chain».
The MOU goes, however, beyond the relationship with Hithium. As Irujo noted during the signing, «these agreements not only open up an investment opportunity, but also a commercial opportunity for sectors such as agri-food, health, digital, construction and audiovisual, amongst others».
Navarra consolidates its network of alliances in China
This new agreement builds on the one signed at the start of 2026 with the Longhua district in Shenzhen, which is already generating business meetings and collaboration opportunities between Navarrese and Chinese companies. Navarre is thus consolidating a growing network of institutional alliances in China, underpinned by more than two decades of work under the Navarre International Plan.
The Navarrese delegation at CISCE included, alongside the regional government, organisations such as Sodena, CENER, CEIN and four clusters — Navarra Health Cluster, ATANA, iCONS and CLAVNA — as well as the companies Lizarte and Gurpea Group, collectively representing more than 400 Navarrese businesses at one of the world’s leading international events for industrial supply chains.
Source: Diario de Navarra