The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, This Tuesday, the strength of the Spanish economy was demonstrated and offered his country to Chinese companies as an “ally” and an “attractive and safe” destination for your investments, in addition to representing an ideal base of operations for third-party markets.
Sánchez defended Spain as an investment destination in his speech at the business forum held in Shanghai, on the second leg of his visit to China. The CEO said that China is a socio-economic key for Spain and intends to continue expanding its relations with more trade. and more investments.
“We want a European Union and a China open to the worldand that is why we are committed to honest dialogue to redirect existing tensions which, to a large extent,“are the result of the announcement of the imposition of customs duties on Chinese electric vehicles,” he added.
In this context, as he defended during his trip to China in Beijing, he advocated a negotiated and agreed solution within the framework of the World Trade Organization that would contribute to developing balanced and equitable economic relations that avoid any type of escalation commercial that benefits no one.
The situation in China shows that it is becoming more and more of a problem most relevant for Spanish companies due to the opportunities what it offers, but at the same time it has demonstrated that Spain is “a great asset” for investment and, in particular, for Chinese companies. “Few countries offer investment opportunities as favourable as Spain, with an open and competitive environment,” he added before detailing some of the reasons behind this argument.
Thus, he recalled that it is the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone and that it is experiencing growth higher than that of its European partners in the second quarter of this year, quadrupling the average growth of the EU and the Eurozone. In addition, he assured that they had established solid foundations for this to continue to be the case in the years to come.
Another element in favor of Spain as an “attractive and safe” destination, he explained, is the orientation of its economy towards innovation. digitalization and decarbonization. He also highlighted Spain’s strategic location as a natural bridge between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and North Africa.
Spain, an “ally” for businesses
“A natural situation reinforced by first-class infrastructure and a solid and transparent legal framework that make Spain an ideal base of operations,” he added. Likewise, he explained that it has a dynamic business ecosystem and highly qualified and adaptable human capital with a growing specialization in high technology, an asset that, according to him, allows companies to innovate and react quickly to market changes.
For all this, he guaranteed that Spain is an “ally” for Chinese companies and a gateway to Europe. Sánchez said there are many areas in which to expand commercial collaboration, but he specifically cited electric vehicles, green hydrogen, sustainable infrastructure, the circular economy and energy efficiency. But he hopes that the collaboration will not be limited to the bilateral relationship, but will extend to third markets, such as Latin America, in which Spain and China already act as global partners and add their capabilities.
Given the possible differences, he encouraged joint efforts by quoting the Chinese proverb that says: “From the darkest clouds falls the cleanest water“, to turn challenges into opportunities. “We will build bridges where others see only barriers and we will open avenues of collaboration that strengthen our economies,” he added.
The Secretary of State for Commerce, Amparo López, also participated in the opening of the forum. who advocated balance in trade relations and constructive competition, and to this end he has advocated the removal of regulatory barriers and the lifting of restrictions by China.
