50 years of friendship between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Spain

In the framework of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Spain and the public intention of the Chinese Communist Party to strengthen commercial and cultural ties with the Spanish nation, renowned experts in bilateral relations between the two countries have met to reflect and debate on the present and the future. 

With a successful attendance that shows the interest of businessmen and professionals in strengthening the opportunities between the different cultures, the topics of the session revolved around geopolitics and the role of Spain in European Union-China relations, the scenarios and opportunities for Spanish companies in China, the interests of Chinese investments in our country and the paradigm on the behaviour of Chinese tourists in the face of the reopening of borders and the new Silk Road, among others. 

As part of the series of conferences "50 years of Spain-China Relations: a look into the future", directed by Enrique Fanjul, commercial counsellor of the Spanish Embassy in China between 1987 and 1989 and founding partner of Iberglobal, this second session featured renowned Spanish and Chinese figures.

Among the interventions, Javier Serra Guevara, former economic and commercial counsellor at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing and director general of Institutional Cooperation and Coordination of ICEX, reflected on the role of Spanish companies in China and future prospects in a scenario in which China has become the leading supplier of Spain in the world and Spanish exports have fallen by 8% in 2022. Georgina Higueras, journalist specialising in Asia, vice-president of Cátedra China and director of the Asia Forum at the Foro de Foros Foundation, debated the geopolitical framework of Spain-China relations and the future of EU-China relations. 

For her part, and in order to get a closer look at the behaviour and trends of Chinese investments and companies in Spain, the round table included the intervention of Estela Li, president of China Club Spain and manager of the China practice at KPMG Spain, who also opened the debate on the positioning of Spain as a platform for Latin America. Finally, the expert Lisa Wang, founding partner of Link the World Advisers and member of the Advisory Board of IE China Center, opened the debate on cultural and educational exchanges as levers to boost the economy and business and the great opportunity for Spain in the face of the opening of Chinese tourism. 

Laura González Escallada, President of NI HAO CONECTA (NHC) and moderator of the meeting, pointed out that "in the last two years, we have been working hard to establish a solid and direct link between China and Latin America with Spain as the axis. Faced with a binding 2023 for China-Spain opportunities, and now that we can finally travel, we observe that the interest in the Spanish market is more than visible". 

Among the attendees, it is worth mentioning Marcelo Muñoz, president emeritus of Cátedra China and dean of Spanish businessmen in China and the board of directors of the GAMAN-Ateneo de Madrid group for the study of Asian cultures.