Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares will inaugurate the roundtable “The Asian Wave of Innovation: The Challenge Redefining Europe’s Future” this Tuesday, June 30, at 6:00 p.m. The event, co-organized by Casa Asia and CaixaBank, will take place at the Palau Macaya (Passeig Sant Joan, 108, Barcelona). Admission is free with prior registration.
In just two decades, Asia has gone from being merely the world’s factory to becoming a global innovation hub. Companies like Huawei, DeepSeek, Samsung, and BYD are transforming sectors such as artificial intelligence, super apps, climate technology, and sustainable transportation, establishing new standards and business models. With both advanced and emerging economies, the region leads in strategic areas of innovation, shaping the 21st-century technological agenda and consolidating itself as a key driver of global competitiveness.
For Europe, this dynamic represents both opportunities and challenges. Asian innovation opens up possibilities for scientific and technological collaboration, access to emerging markets, and learning from business models adapted to advanced digital environments. At the same time, it intensifies competition in strategic sectors, requiring European companies and institutions to accelerate R&D investments, strengthen scientific capabilities, and design policies that guarantee competitiveness and technological autonomy. Understanding Asia’s development and innovation trends is therefore essential to defining how Europe can position itself in the “Smart Age.”
Opening remarks:
José Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation
Participants:
Manuela Delgado, specialist in artificial intelligence, algorithmic biases, and responsible innovation. Founder of The Curious Case of the Croquette Bias
Luis Galán Lozano, founder and CEO of 2 Open (Thinkia Group)
Rafael Galán del Río, economist specializing in China and emerging markets. Founder of perpe.es
Moderator:
Julio Ceballos, consultant and writer specializing in international and trade relations with China