A tale of two cities: why China appears so different when viewed from Barcelona and Prague
In a gleaming white technology campus half an hour's drive north of Barcelona, Josep Maria Gomes wants to turbocharge an already thriving partnership between Spain and China.
Advertisement
His job at TecnoCampus, a hybrid facility housing a university and business and technology park in the city of Mataro, is to connect local start-ups with cutting edge tech innovations. More and more these days, he sees these coming from China.
'In sectors like cybersecurity, Internet of Things, sensory robotics and artificial intelligence, they are much more developed than us,' says Gomes, who in a previous role for the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce tried to lure Chinese investments into sectors including AI and electric vehicles.
In recent months, organisations such as these have ridden the crest of a wave, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez raced to establish himself as Europe's 'anti-Trump'.
As some European leaders dally over climate commitments, Sanchez has doubled down on the green energy and push for cleantech that helped Spain become the EU's fastest-growing economy last year.
Advertisement
Amid a widespread backlash against immigration, the Spanish government has made clear that it needs new arrivals to power growth and enrich its society.
And with President Donald Trump doing much to burn the transatlantic relationship, Sanchez has wasted little time in pivoting to China as an alternative, publicly pushing for a new EU approach.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
A tale of two cities: why China appears so different when viewed from Barcelona and Prague
In a gleaming white technology campus half an hour's drive north of Barcelona, Josep Maria Gomes wants to turbocharge an already thriving partnership between Spain and China. Advertisement His job at TecnoCampus, a hybrid facility housing a university and business and technology park in the city of Mataro, is to connect local start-ups with cutting edge tech innovations. More and more these days, he sees these coming from China. 'In sectors like cybersecurity, Internet of Things, sensory robotics and artificial intelligence, they are much more developed than us,' says Gomes, who in a previous role for the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce tried to lure Chinese investments into sectors including AI and electric vehicles. In recent months, organisations such as these have ridden the crest of a wave, as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez raced to establish himself as Europe's 'anti-Trump'. As some European leaders dally over climate commitments, Sanchez has doubled down on the green energy and push for cleantech that helped Spain become the EU's fastest-growing economy last year. Advertisement Amid a widespread backlash against immigration, the Spanish government has made clear that it needs new arrivals to power growth and enrich its society. And with President Donald Trump doing much to burn the transatlantic relationship, Sanchez has wasted little time in pivoting to China as an alternative, publicly pushing for a new EU approach.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
In Spain, soaring rents force hundreds of homeless to seek refuge at Madrid airport
Victor Fernando Meza works during the day, but his salary is not enough to afford rent in the Spanish capital Madrid. So, once again, the 45-year-old Peruvian will spend the night at the airport. Advertisement On a sweltering May evening, Meza arrived at Barajas airport before 9pm - just in time to get past security. Any later, and people without a boarding pass are not allowed in under a new policy implemented a week ago to deter the hundreds of homeless people staying overnight. The measure aims to address the rising number of people sleeping in Spain's busiest airport – a situation thrust into the spotlight by images showing rows of people lying on the floor among bags and shopping trolleys, sparking a blame game between government officials. Those who call Barajas home say the increased scrutiny in Europe's fifth busiest airport is unwelcome. Homeless people lay on the floor of Terminal 4 of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport in Madrid. Photo: AFP They doubt solutions will come and fear losing what they see as the safest place to sleep, compared to the streets or the metro in a city where homeless shelters have limited capacity.
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Spain proposes 100% tax on non-EU house buyers
Spain's government is pushing ahead with a controversial proposal to hit non-European Union residents with a 100 per cent tax when buying homes, as it seeks to tackle a brewing housing crisis. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party presented the plan as part of a broader housing bill submitted to Parliament on Thursday. The bill seeks to promote 'measures that enable access to housing, since we are facing one of the largest problems our society is currently confronted with', according to a copy of the draft legislation seen by Bloomberg. Sanchez first announced plans to create the new tax in January, in an attempt to address growing discontent over surging real estate prices and housing shortages in areas including Madrid and Barcelona. At the time, Sanchez said foreigners were snapping up homes and speculating on price increases, and that non-EU residents bought 27,000 properties in 2023. UK citizens are the biggest foreign buyers of Spanish property, mainly in coastal regions such as Valencia, Andalusia and the Balearic Islands. Germans, Dutch and other EU citizens will be exempt. The UK left the EU in early 2020, severing political ties it had held for almost half a century. It then stayed inside the EU single market and customs union for almost a year to facilitate trade.
