Chinese Vice President Han Zheng concludes four-day Spain visit

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng concluded his four-day trip to Spain on Friday after his attendance at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

On Tuesday, Han met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid on his first official engagement.

Sanchez was in China on an official state visit two months ago - his third in three years.

And while there were no joint statements or press releases after the meeting, a post was published on Sanchez's social media saying that the pair discussed urgent global and economic challenges, and that China and Spain will continue to work together on a positive agenda based on mutual trust and respect.

The visit was another indication of China and Spain's ever closer economic and diplomatic relationship, with many analysts viewing Sanchez as aiming to position himself as a bridge between China and the European Union.

Members of the current U.S. administration were not pleased during Sanchez's last visit to Beijing when Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo suggested that Europe should align itself more closely with China.

"That would be cutting your own throat," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in Washington.

This latest visit from Vice President Han shows that Spain and China are both keen to continue developing closer ties.

Chinese investment in Spain

Chinese companies have been investing heavily in Spain over recent years, with more than $10 billion flowing into the country in renewable energy and EV projects.

Now Spain's regional governments are actively courting more.

"China is our top priority," Jordi Ortiz, Foreign Direct Investment Director for ACCIO - the Catalonia Trade & Investment, told CGTN in Barcelona. "ACCIO and the Catalan government has three business offices in China, one in Beijing, one one in Shanghai, and the other one in Hong Kong."

He added: "Most importantly, in terms of capital investment, we have a China desk. We have dedicated people who understand Chinese culture, who speak Chinese, who speak Mandarin, here in Barcelona, working together with the people that are in the offices.

"So we think there's a lot of potential working together between Catalonia, Asia, China specifically, in the life sciences, in the bio-sector, in order to grow these alliances and benefit the win-win for both parties."

Barcelona has seen a half-a-billion U.S. dollar investment from Chinese EV carmaker Chery in the city, taking over part of the Nissan car factory, and there is a $75 million terminal currently being built at Barcelona port that will allow the delivery of some 180,000 Chinese EVs each year.

The port of Barcelona is strategically placed with connecting maritime, rail and road routes giving Chinese carmakers a direct line to southern and central Europe.

Fully automated and electrified, the site will have the capacity for close to 10,000 vehicles and be topped by solar panels generating its own energy on site, helping fulfil carbon-neutral goals.

Forecasts are that it will move some 180,000 cars per year by 2028, many of them Chinese EVs from brands like BYD, MG, XPeng and NIO.

More is in the pipeline too, says Ortiz. "They are exciting investments coming. We are talking, nothing is finalized, but we are in advanced conversations with a lot of companies that are interested in what we can offer as a country, as a location."

Other flagship investments elsewhere in Spain include a four billion US dollar plus EV battery factory in Zaragoza from CATL and Stellantis, and over two and a half billion dollars in green hydrogen projects in the south of Spain.

On Thursday Han Zheng had an audience with King Felipe VI before traveling to Seville to meet Andalucian regional President Juanma Moreno who last year helped secure those green hydrogen investments.

Spain's tourism sector is also hoping for a 36 percent rise in Chinese visitors this year compared to last year.

There was good news for the Spanish agriculture sector too when a Chinese announcement in April expanded access for Spanish pork to its market, and even better news came this week when a decision following the investigation into the European dumping of pork was postponed by six months, coinciding with Han's arrival in Spain.

China imported around $2.5 billion worth of pork in 2024 from the EU, half of it from Spain - the largest provider of pork to China in the EU.

The Vice President's visit was another sign of China further cultivating a closer relationship with one of its closest European allies, while Spain clearly wants to continue this positive rise in trade, tourism, and investment.