After having lunch with those in charge of the CSMC, and meeting Tianjin’s Deputy Mayor responsible for Industry, Wang Zhi Ping, the Minister of Science and innovation visited the Chinese Spanish Machine Tool Centre accompanied by the General Secretary for Industry, Juan Tomás Hernani, Spain’s Ambassador in China, Eugenio Bregolat, the Chairman of the CSMC, Li Dawei, the Managing Director of the AFM, Xabier Ortueta, Party Secretary, Chen Jin Qi, and the co-directors of the Centre, Natxo Artamendi and Xu Cheng Ying.

Cristina Garmendia’s visit to China aims to intensify the scientific relations of Spanish technology centres with research centres in China. In this regard, the Chinese Spanish Machine Tool Centre in Tianjin is a model of collaboration between the two countries’ governments. During its eight years of existence it has served as a launching pad for Spanish machine tool manufacturers aiming to win customers in the enormous, complex Chinese market. Opened at the end of 2003, the centre has just moved to new facilities, which have doubled its space from 5,000 to 10,000 square metres, in a new area of Tianjin where universities and vocational training centres are concentrated.

In addition to being a training platform for personnel from Chinese companies involved in mechanical manufacturing, the CSMC provides training services for Chinese personnel from Spanish companies in China, both in its own facilities and those of its customers anywhere in China. At the CSMC, the AFM, the Spanish Association of Machine Tool Manufacturers, offers a service and orientation centre for industrial firms wishing to carry out any type of commercial, purchasing or production activity in China.

China is a priority market for Spanish machine tool manufacturers. It is currently the world’s main producer, consumer and importer of machine tools. If in 2005 it was the seventh most important destination for Spanish machine tools, in 2010 it became the main source of orders from foreign markets. The expectations for growth are good and a growing number of companies already have production and/or sales facilities in China.