Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., a Chinese automobile manufacturer, is considering building a plant and a regional headquarters near Barcelona, Spain, a Catalonia government spokesman said on Thursday.

According to spokesman Jose Montilla Aguilera, the head of the regional government had discussions with Chery's management team and Chinese government officials on this potential cooperation, which has been in negotiation for two years.

Chery is expected to invest 800 million (US$1.03 billion) to 1 billion euro (US$1.28 billion) on the factory and headquarters, creating 3,000 jobs directly. The factory will be put into operation in 2015.

China's business press carried the story above on Friday. China.org.cn has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.