China's Soft Power Seduces Spain with Investments in Renewable Energy Projects

[hotznplotzn@lemmy.sdf.org]

Here is the article (pdf) [It is only available als pdf, which is why I didn't provide the URL above.]

It is a calculated charm offensive that is working particularly well in Spain, thanks in part to the large investments coming from Chinese companies, especially in clean energy projects.

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Over a hundred political leaders, diplomats from 40 countries, businessmen, and international analysts spent two days at the Eurostars Madrid Tower Hotel [in last December]. The event, organized by Club de Madrid, an influential group of former heads of state and academics with close ties to China, even included a reception with King Felipe VI. However, it barely resonated in the international press, except for extensive coverage in Chinese state media, which broadcasted a letter from President Xi Jinping congratulating the sharing of China's proposals in a space aimed at improving exchanges and understanding between China and the rest of the world.

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"Spain is trying to position itself as a bridge between China and Europe. Following President Pedro Sánchez's official visit last September, Spain abstained from voting on tariffs for Chinese electric cars in the EU, and now China is heavily investing in Spain's goal of becoming a leader in green energy," stated an analysis published on the English news channel CGTN's [China Global Television Network] website, which is part of a media organization under the control of the Chinese Communist Party's Propaganda Department.

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During that trip to China, Sánchez returned with an agreement from the giant Envision Energy to invest €1 billion in Spain in a green hydrogen industrial park. Hygreen Energy, another Chinese electrolyzer manufacturer, also announced a €2 billion investment in green hydrogen projects in Andalusia, a clean energy source obtained by decomposing water through the electrolysis process. China Three Gorges Europe (CTG), the largest clean energy group in the Asian country, acquired the Mula solar plant in Murcia, Spain, last year. The Chinese multinational Chery, in partnership with the Spanish brand Ebro, will start producing electric cars at the former Nissan facilities in the Barcelona Free Trade Zone.

Chinese tech company CATL and the Stellantis group will build a gigafactory in Zaragoza, which recently had its mayor, Natalia Chueca, traveling to China accompanied by Aragonese businessmen in February. Chueca succeeded in closing a deal with another Chinese renewable energy giant, TDG Ibernavitas, to establish its European headquarters in Zaragoza, with an expected investment of over €120 million and the creation of up to 800 direct jobs.

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