The governor of the US state of California Gavin Newsom (Democrat) welcomed a high-level Belgian economic delegation on Monday. The delegation that includes more than 500 representatives from the worlds of business and academia as well as leading politicians, arrived on Saturday for what will be an 8-day visit.
Speaking on Monday Governor Newsom said “Our country is going through difficult times. The presence of such a large delegation reminds us of the importance of personal connections."
The visit also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Belgium’s three regional trade agencies and California's Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). The agreement aims to create a flexible framework for collaboration in fields such as trade, knowledge exchange, and public-private partnerships.
Defence partnerships
In addition to the signing of the MoU, 4 Belgian companies that are active in the defence and technology industries signed contracts with US partners.
The aerospace supplier Asco Industries concluded a strategic partnership with the US cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks. Meanwhile, Thales Belgium will work with MSI Defense Solutions on integrating Belgian 70mm guided rockets and launch systems onto mobile platforms with a focus on anti-drone technology. The satellite navigation receiver developer Septentrio announced that it is to cooperate with Xona Space Systems to design new navigation and timing solutions. The fourth company from Belgium to sign a deal with a US company on Monday was VoxelSensors. It signed an agreement with Summer Robotics to integrate its sensor technology into are intended to become “the world’s fastest and most agile industrial robots.”
Speaking on Monday evening, the Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken (Flemish nationalist) told journalists that “In a world where defence, technology, and economics are increasingly intertwined, international cooperation is not a luxury. It’s a necessity. By joining forces with trusted partners in the US, we strengthen not only our industrial position but also our strategic autonomy and security.”