Meat diplomacy: Beijing opens market to Spanish pork amid economic rapprochement

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Chinese Vice President Han Zheng arrived in Spain on Tuesday for a four-day official visit, during which he will meet with King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The visit is another sign of strengthening economic and political ties between the countries, Reuters reports.

The trip comes two months after Sánchez visited Beijing, where he discussed ways to strengthen cooperation amid global trade tensions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The Spanish prime minister seeks to position Madrid as a bridge between the EU and China, attracting investment in strategic sectors, including batteries, electric vehicles and hydrogen.

Last year, Stellantis and Chinese battery manufacturer CATL announced the creation of one of Europe's largest electric vehicle battery factories in Spain.

However, relations between the countries are not without tension. Last year, Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation into pork imports from the EU in response to EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. This hit Spain hard as one of the leading exporters.

Nevertheless, Sánchez's visit to China yielded positive results: an agreement was reached to expand Spanish exporters' access to the Chinese market for the supply of pig stomachs, a popular product in China that was previously banned from import.

After meetings in Madrid with Prime Minister Sánchez and King Felipe, Vice President Han will visit Seville, where he will hold talks with Andalusian President Juan Manuel Moreno. Last year, the region signed agreements with China for more than €2.5 billion in investments.

In addition, the number of tourists from China to Spain is expected to increase by 36% this summer compared to last year, the highest figure among all European countries, according to Turespaña forecasts.


PigUA.info based on materials from thepigsite.com

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