A pharmaceutical company ranked among the world’s 500 largest corporations has expressed interest in using Madeira as a gateway to the European market, following the Region’s recent official mission to China.
The development was revealed by Invest Madeira, an agency under the Regional Secretariat for the Economy, as it reviewed the outcomes of the visit to Macau, Hengqin and Hong Kong. The delegation was led by the Regional Secretary for the Economy and President of Invest Madeira, José Manuel Rodrigues.
According to Invest Madeira’s Executive Director, Filipa Ferreira, one of the mission’s primary objectives was to promote Madeira as an attractive base for Chinese companies seeking to expand into Europe.
“Positioning Madeira as an entry point for Chinese companies into the European market was one of the key goals of this mission. We had the opportunity to meet companies and startups looking to diversify their investments and establish a presence in Europe, viewing Madeira as a business-friendly platform with attractive advantages, particularly through the International Business Centre of Madeira,” she said.
Ferreira noted that discussions held during the visit revealed strong interest among Asian investors and entrepreneurs in using Madeira as a bridge to Europe. She highlighted the case of a major pharmaceutical company that currently does not export to Europe but is exploring the possibility of doing so through Madeira.
The mission also strengthened efforts to support the internationalisation of Madeiran businesses. As part of this initiative, Invest Madeira was invited to join the 929 Challenge, an international entrepreneurship and innovation competition that connects China with Portuguese-speaking countries and provides startups with access to investors, mentoring programmes and international expansion opportunities.
At the institutional level, three cooperation agreements were signed with business organisations linked to European, Chinese and Portuguese-speaking markets. The agreements aim to deepen commercial ties and encourage greater business cooperation between the territories involved.
Another key moment of the mission was a meeting in Hong Kong with the territory’s public investment promotion agency. According to Ferreira, the discussions could lead to the signing of a memorandum of understanding designed to establish permanent channels of cooperation between Hong Kong and Madeira.
“We have been invited to return to sign a memorandum of understanding that will create synergies, enabling Madeiran companies to use Hong Kong as a platform for entering China, while allowing Chinese companies to use Madeira as a gateway to Europe,” she explained.
Invest Madeira believes the mission has helped strengthen the Region’s international profile in some of Asia’s leading economic centres, supporting its broader strategy of attracting foreign investment and diversifying export markets.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
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