In the streets of Barcelona, red and golden Chinese dragons danced among the joyful crowd; dragons whose occupants were likely sweating from the heat. At the same time, Chinese acrobats amazed spectators by rolling, throwing, and launching spherical lanterns into the air. Shanghai made history by becoming the first Asian metropolis invited as a special guest city to the famous and vibrant cultural festival "La Merce" in Barcelona.
Cultural Friendship and Economic Challenges
The extensive street parades of this festival are mainly held to celebrate centuries-old traditions of Catalonia. Therefore, watching traditional Catalan wind instrument players in velvet costumes alongside colorful-clad Chinese artists was an impressive experience. Lou Shan, the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai, traveled to Barcelona to speak at the opening ceremony of "La Merce" and referred to the shared cultural spirit of China and Catalonia during the event.
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Spain and China are currently experiencing a period of mutual interest and welcome, but this friendly atmosphere does not exist throughout the European Union. Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister of Spain, has met with Xi Jinping, the President of China, four times in the past four years and has urged the European Union to improve its relations with China. This approach has faced anger and dissatisfaction from some of Spain's European partners who view Beijing as a strategic rival and a threat to the EU.
Cooperation Challenges and Geopolitical Concerns
Germany and France, two major powers in the European Union, have recently agreed on a more aggressive approach towards China. They want to give Brussels the necessary power to exclude state-subsidized Chinese competitors from the EU market to address the increasing trade imbalance with Beijing. An imbalance that the European Commission claims has reached a significant figure of about $1.2 billion per day.
Other EU countries are concerned about China's close ties with Russia. Beijing has denied aiding Moscow's military activities in Ukraine, but defense experts point to China's technological and economic support, which they say has enabled Russia to continue its military assault. Spain, eagerly seeking closer ties with Beijing, has been accused of prioritizing its own interests over broader European interests.
Victor Cortizo, a lawyer and researcher specializing in China-Spain relations, asks: "Is this issue somewhat like the chicken and egg dilemma? Did Spain distance itself from its European allies, or did they distance themselves from us?" He states, "I think it was mostly us, meaning Spain. But there are justifiable reasons for this. Realistic politics is a reality."
Chinese investment in Spain has doubled in just the past year. This trend is particularly evident in massive battery production facilities and automotive factories. Cortizo believes that now that Hungary is no longer under the rule of Viktor Orbán, a pro-China politician, Spain could become the European destination of choice for Chinese investment. Given the decrease in U.S. investment, the importance of Chinese investment in Spain is increasing.
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