An official delegation from the Autonomous Community of Catalonia of Spain, led by Mr. Jaume Duch Guillot, the region's Minister for EU and Foreign Action, visited Hainan from July 29 to August 1. The visit was the realization of a consensus reached by Liu Xiaoming, the Governor of Hainan Province, and Salvador Illa i Roca, President of the Government of Catalonia, in June this year, and involved observing close-up observations of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP)'s development progress and advancing bilateral exchanges and cooperation in areas including exhibitions, port logistics, tourism, culture, and clean energy.

On the afternoon of July 29, Dai Zhen, Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province, held a work meeting with Guillot and his delegation. She welcomed the delegation and expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the provincial government for the Government of Catalonia's generous assistance during the Hainan government delegation's visit to Spain. She stated that Hainan FTP island-wide special customs operations, which are due to be initiated on December 18 this year, will bring about new, historic opportunities and upgraded policies and measures, providing the perfect occasion for Hainan and Catalonia to deepen cooperation. She expressed hope that both sides would leverage their respective strengths to deepen pragmatic exchanges and cooperation in areas including the economy, trade, tourism, culture, sports, youth exchanges, port logistics, and clean energy. She also invited the Catalonian government to send a high-level official delegation to participate in the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 and to muster enterprises to participate in events like the 6th China International Consumer Products Expo. The two sides engaged in substantive discussions on the establishment of a regular communication mechanism and reached initial an initial consensus on aspects such as advancing the signing on a memorandum of understanding on friendly cooperation.

Guillot expressed strong admiration for the development of the Hainan FTP and that the island's vitality and openness had left a deep impression on him. He stated that the Government of Catalonia would take the occasion of 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU and China and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Spain to actively advance cooperation with China, particularly pragmatic cooperation with Hainan in areas including the economy, trade, and investment, culture and tourism, and port logistics. He responded positively to Hainan's invitation to Catalonia to send official delegations to attend exhibitions and conferences in Hainan, and welcomed Hainan official delegations to attend exhibitions and conferences on agriculture, AI, and other fields in Catalonia. He further stated that he would promote and introduce the Hainan Free Trade Port to Catalonian enterprises, enabling more local companies to learn about Hainan, invest in Hainan, and benefit from the development opportunities of the Free Trade Port.

During its visit, the delegation engaged in dialogue with officials from various provincial and sub-provincial agencies in Hainan, namely the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, the Department of Commerce, the Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development, and the municipal people's governments of Danzhou and Qionghai. It also conducted on-site visits to the Port of Yangpu, the Boao Forum for Asia International Conference Center, Dongyu Island Zero-carbon Demonstration Zone, Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, and other locations.

 The official delegation from the Government of Catalonia visits the Port of Yangpu.