According to the BBC, this week Shanghai made history by becoming the first Asian city to be invited to participate in the famous Spanish cultural event, La Merce, held in Barcelona.
The vice mayor of Shanghai flew to Barcelona to attend the opening ceremony of the Saint Melcer Festival and delivered a speech. He stated that although the cultural traditions of China and Spain differ in form, they share a "common spirit."
Shanghai Fengxian Roll Lamp Makes Appearance at the Opening Ceremony of the Sant Meals Festival in Barcelona, Spain. Website of the People's Government of Fengxian District, Shanghai
Spain and China are in a stage of mutual appreciation, but many EU countries are dissatisfied with this.
According to reports, Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez visited China four times within four years. After US President Trump took office, Sánchez has been calling for all EU countries to improve their relations with China. This move by Sánchez has caused dissatisfaction and opposition from several EU member states. These countries view China as a strategic competitor and a potential geopolitical threat, and privately question Spain’s choice to open its market to China.
Sanchez is not the only EU leader who insists on choosing an independent foreign policy. With global turmoil, many EU countries feel squeezed and vulnerable, and they cannot be sure of their ability to rely on the United States under Trump's leadership. Trump's trade and defense policies are considered unpredictable and sometimes even aggressive. Therefore, some EU member states are starting to choose strategic partners that meet their own needs, even if this may alienate or anger other EU members.
Recently, two major European countries, France and Germany, reached a consensus to take more aggressive measures against China. They hope to grant Brussels the necessary power to keep Chinese competitors out of the EU market, thereby reducing the EU’s trade deficit with China. Some EU countries also have concerns about China’s relations with Russia.
According to the BBC, when Spain expressed friendship towards China, he was criticized by some voices for ‘being only concerned with his own interests, rather than the broader European interests’.
Specialists who study the relationship between China and Europe, Victor Cortizo, said: “This is the chicken-or-egg problem. Was Spain alienated from its European allies first, or did the allies alienate us?”
Cortizo pointed out, "I believe that more is our choice. But this is reasonable; real politics is indeed like this. If I can get closer to China, attract Chinese investment, and boost our own economy, then from a strategic perspective, I would be more attractive than an ally who only considers its own interests."
Cortizo said that Sánchez has made a decision to pursue domestic profits rather than maintaining relations at the EU level. "In just last year alone, Chinese investment in Spain doubled."
According to data from the Spanish Agency for Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion (ICEX), investments in China have increased significantly in Spain, with particularly strong investments in areas such as new battery production plants and automobile factories.
Curtizo believes that as Orban no longer holds power in Hungary, Spain could become a more attractive European investment destination for China.
He emphasized that ‘U.S. investment is decreasing, while the significance of Chinese investment here is increasing.’
Today, the Spanish society is much more friendly towards China than towards its traditional ally, the United States. A poll conducted by the Pew Research Center this summer showed that 54% of Spaniards have a positive view of China, while only 30% have a positive view of the United States.
Cortizo said that China makes trade easier; while the United States, due to Trump's tariff policies and the conflict between the US and Iran, makes trade more difficult. At the same time, Spanish citizens see that if the Prime Minister refuses Trump's demands, does not increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, or does not allow the US to use bases in Spain to attack Iran, the President of the United States will threaten economic sanctions.
For this reason, many Spaniards believe that China is more reliable than the United States.
In July 2025, Spain signed a contract with Huawei worth 12.3 million euros. The contract stated that Huawei would provide hardware for Spanish law enforcement and intelligence agencies to store monitoring data obtained by these agencies under judicial authorization. This incident caused a significant stir within the European Union.
Several political groups in the European Parliament claim that Spain’s contract could endanger the entire EU. The Spanish Ministry of Defense has always denied any risks.
In EU countries, not only Spain is promoting foreign cooperation based on its own national conditions.
According to the BBC, Finland has been concerned about its own security since the Russo-Ukraine conflict. Now, the country no longer believes that the United States will help it when needed, so it has turned to Israel for advanced defense equipment, including anti-tank missiles like the ‘Iron Stiletto’. Even during the most intense phase of the Gaza war, Finland still continued its contracts with Israel.
European Policy Analysis Center's Transatlantic Defense and Security Project researcher Minna Alander said, 'There is a belief in Finland that we cannot always have a sense of moral superiority. Survival comes at a cost.'
In late August this year, Greece signed one of the largest defense export agreements in bilateral history with Israel. This agreement allowed Greece to acquire Israeli technology for countering various threats such as drones, fighter jets, and missiles.
Greeks have always shown sympathy for Palestinians, and many are skeptical about the growing closeness between Greece and Israel. However, Nick Malkoutzis, co-founder of the Greek political analysis website MacroPolis, pointed out that the reaction within Greece's public and political circles to this agreement has been "calmer than expected."
He said that this is because there is a bottom line—the consensus is that strengthening the country’s security against Turkey is a basic need for Greece, and it takes precedence over everything else.
Israel is a close ally of Washington. Greece hopes that even during times of turmoil, “purchasing Israeli equipment” will still help maintain good relations with the United States.
According to reports, it is not new for European countries to unite in smaller groups to pursue common interests. For example, the E3 mechanism was formed in 2003 by Britain, Germany, and France, and there are also organizations like the Visegrád Group, which consists of Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Spanish Royal Institute of Elcano researcher Miguel Otero said that Spain's European allies are arrogant and hypocritical. "France, Italy, Germany—all of them maintain their own strategic relationships with China. Spain has not gone any further; it is simply catching up with them."
He also pointed out that since Europe cannot rely solely on the United States, Spain's priority is to achieve diversification. Spain not only wants to do business with China, but also wishes to establish economic and trade relations with Canada, Brazil, India, and Africa. He said that Spain does not focus solely on China.
