Shanghai made history this week as the first Asian metropolis invited as the city of honour to Barcelona's famously rambunctious cultural festival, La Merce. Vast street processions that normally celebrate centuries-old Catalan traditions saw velvet-clad pipers and colourful Chinese performers mingling, while Chinese acrobats drew gasps of amazement. Shanghai Vice Mayor Lu Shan flew to Barcelona to speak at the opening ceremony, remarking that Chinese and Catalan traditions, though different in form, share "a common spirit".
The festival display is the most visible sign of a broader strategic rapprochement between Spain and China that has angered many in the European Union. EU officials and diplomats have voiced concerns that Madrid is pursuing bilateral deals with Beijing on trade, investment and infrastructure that undermine the bloc's collective approach to China. Spain, which has sought Chinese investment for its renewable energy sector and Chinese tourists to bolster its economy, has defended its engagement as pragmatic and commercially necessary.
The evolving relationship places Spain among a small group of EU member states that have deepened ties with China even as Brussels has adopted a more cautious posture, labelling Beijing a "systemic rival". Critics in the European Parliament argue that Madrid's independent outreach weakens the EU's ability to negotiate from a position of strength on issues such as market access, technology transfers and human rights. Spanish officials have countered that engagement with China is essential for European competitiveness and that bilateral co-operation does not preclude adherence to EU-wide frameworks.
China has welcomed Spain's overtures, viewing Madrid as a potential gateway for Chinese investment into southern Europe and Latin America. Analysts note that Beijing has increasingly used cultural diplomacy—such as Shanghai's role at La Mercè—as a soft-power tool to build goodwill ahead of commercial and political negotiations.