CATL, Stellantis break ground on major EV battery plant in Spain

A battery manufacturing joint venture between China's battery giant CATL and multinational automaker Stellantis has broken ground in Spain's northeastern region of Aragon, with a groundbreaking ceremony held on Wednesday for the project that marks one of the largest Chinese industrial investments in the country.

CATL and Stellantis aim to have the new gigafactory in Zaragoza, located in Aragon, up and running by the end of 2026 and, with a joint investment of over 4 billion euros. The facility will run entirely on renewable energy. It is expected to deliver up to 50 GWh of lithium-iron phosphate batteries a year for electric vehicles.

CATL is the world's biggest and best-selling electric vehicle battery maker, and Stellantis is a global car manufacturer that has Jeep, Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Peugeot, and Vauxhall under its umbrella - among others.

These two multinational powerhouses have teamed up to build an EV battery plant with a clear aim.

"To accelerate the transition towards affordable, accessible, sustainable mobility for all," said Wu Qi, CEO of Contemporary Star Energy - the joint venture set up by CATL and Stellantis, in his speech at the ceremony.

Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism Jordi Hereu said the groundbreaking ceremony represents a strategic milestone in Spain's new-energy transition and industrial modernization, as well as Europe's strategic independence on the world stage.

"Today we are laying the first stone, the fruit of cooperation and of a vision of what an independent European strategy needs to be - open to cooperation, to dialogue, to work with all of the countries in the world, and especially with a country like China," he said.

During the ceremony, representatives from both sides sealed copies of Spain's Heraldo de Aragon and China's People's Daily into a time capsule to be placed at the factory's entrance as a symbol of long-term commitment to the project's future.

As China continues to lead innovation in sustainable technology, Spain is positioning itself as a global EV manufacturing hub through high levels of education, lower costs, and on-site solar and wind energy. It is in the talk about setting up a brand-new European plant that another Chinese EV giant, BYD, is planning.

CATL, Stellantis break ground on major EV battery plant in Spain

Foreign passenger traffic from APEC member economies at Shenzhen Airport hit a historic high of 1.25 million in the first ten months of this year, local border inspection authorities said on Monday, as the city prepares to host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting later this month.

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, from November 18 to 19, with preparations in the final stretch.

As the meeting approaches, the airport port is seeing another surge in passenger flow, with international flights from APEC member economies including South Korea, Mexico and Malaysia arriving in succession at noon on Monday.

In addition to the APEC meeting, visa-free policies and the expansion of the international route network have driven notable growth in foreign passenger flows this year. In the first ten months, foreign nationals entering and exiting through the airport port totaled about 1.56 million passenger trips, up 27.7 percent year on year and a record high for the same period, according to the border inspection station.

A total of 1.25 million foreign nationals from APEC member economies received border inspection, up 29.6 percent year on year, also a record high for the same period. Travelers from Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States ranked among the top sources.

Shenzhen Airport sees record passenger traffic from APEC economies in first ten months