BARCELONA, Spain, May 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a report from iQingdao:
On May 19, 2026 (local time), the Qingdao-Spain Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference was held in Barcelona, Spain, attracting nearly 150 Chinese and Spanish representatives from government agencies, businesses, trade associations, and overseas Chinese communities. The event established an international platform for government communication, business matchmaking and industrial interactions, injecting fresh impetus into in-depth and pragmatic cooperation between Qingdao and Catalonia.
The event garnered extensive attention across the local community, drawing active participation from major local economic and trade organizations and leading enterprises such as PIMEC, Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Catalonia Trade and Investment, Port of Barcelona, Grifols, and Abanca. Meng Yuhong, Chinese Consul General in Barcelona, Nadia Quevedo, Commissioner for Economic Promotion, Commerce, and Restaurants, and Mireia López Leonar, International Promotion Manager of the Catalonia Trade and Investment, delivered speeches at the event. Prof. Augusto Soto, Director of Dialogue with China Project and an ambassador of China-Spain friendship, and the representative of Haier Smart Home in charge of the Central Europe region, shared their experience in cross-border cooperation and put forward suggestions for advancing economic, trade and cultural exchanges between the two sides.
Qingdao is a major coastal central city, a modern ocean city, a renowned historical and cultural city and an international comprehensive transportation hub in China. The city spans a vast land and sea area with a permanent population exceeding 10 million. It boasts a well-established industrial network and robust economic resilience. In 2025, its GDP exceeded 1.75 trillion yuan, with total foreign trade surpassing 910 billion yuan. Qingdao has been repeatedly listed as one of the Most Attractive Chinese Cities in the Eyes of Foreign Talents.
In recent years, economic and trade ties between Qingdao and Spain have grown increasingly close, yielding fruitful outcomes in two-way trade and investment cooperation. Statistics show that the trade volume between the two sides reached 1.258 billion euros in 2025, maintaining strong momentum. To date, over 20 Spanish enterprises have established a presence and expanded their operations in Qingdao. Meanwhile, leading Qingdao enterprises have actively explored the Spanish market and expanded their overseas industrial footprint.
Representatives from Qingdao government agencies said the city will leverage the complementary strengths with Spain to advance pragmatic cooperation across various fields, especially in industrial innovation, marine economy, healthcare, green energy and modern services. It will work to strengthen government ties while facilitating business matchmaking, technical exchanges and project collaboration to translate more cooperation initiatives into tangible results.
Spanish government officials and industry representatives expressed high expectations for Qingdao-Spain cooperation. Officials from the governments of Catalonia and Barcelona voiced their desire to enhance all-round collaboration and elevate economic, trade and industrial cooperation to new heights. The participating organizations and companies from Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia expressed strong interest in cooperation. They hoped to leverage the conference to establish a long-term matchmaking platform, explore cooperation potential across diverse sectors, and achieve mutually beneficial and coordinated development.
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