Spain could do more to get involved in BRI besides freight train: Spanish expert

“As Spain has actively responded to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since it was proposed, the China-Europe freight train service, which runs from different Chinese cities to Spain, has not only promoted bilateral trade in recent years, but also showed the potential for further cooperation between the two countries,” said Augusto Soto, director of Dialogue with China Project.

Dialogue with China Project was born under the aegis of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Global Experts. Its aim is to discuss current intercultural and international issues as well as promote communication and networking, publishing and educational projects for a better understanding and interaction with China.

In a recent interview with the Belt and Road Portal (BRP), Soto shared his experiences with the BRI and his views on achievements and prospects of China-Spain cooperation.

BRP: Could you tell what led you to become interested in China and BRI?

Augusto Soto: I became interested in China since I was young. I thought it was important to explore what was happening outside the Western world, so I started to read books about China and dream about visiting the country one day. In 1986 I visited China for the first time. I spent two years studying Chinese and Chinese culture at Beijing Language and Culture University, and then I studied and carried out research on Chinese history at Peking University between1988 and 1990.

In the late 1990s, I had the chance to participate in a two-year long EU Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States project at  the Diplomatic Academy of Kazakhstan. Professors and students knew about my China years and asked me to specifically lecture them on China and its importance in contemporary times.

My main message to my Kazakh audience was that since both countries shared an ancient-interrelated history (dating back to the Han dynasty), a long frontier and a key location in the huge Eurasian landmass, there were plenty of elements for a deeper engagement in current times. My view was that since China’s opening to the outside world meant both modernization and innovative East-West projects, perhaps in a near future Kazakhstan could become a kind of bridge between Europe and China.

I have witnessed the evolution of China in these last decadesand besides its innovation drive, it calls my attention to the scope of its diplomacy, and particularly the fact that China is the first country over half a millennia developing and rising to become one of the two main economies without resorting to conquest, colonialism or waging wars far from home. This is a historic fact that I shared with my Kazakh audience then, and now in my on-site and online lectures in different countries. Sustainable trade and dialogue are the best bridges for peace.

In other words, I have witnessed the development of the BRI with real enjoyment. I am convinced that the BRI is more than the train, and more than the maritime ties, the air and the cyber connection: it is indeed a multidimensional connection.

Augusto Soto (1st right) poses with participants of a discussion on the BRI at a meeting organized by the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute in Berlin, Germany, in May 2018. (Photo: Courtesy of Augusto Soto)

BRP: What has been brought to Spain by China-Europe freight train?

Augusto Soto: When the BRI became known in Spain, many people felt surprised. Now the answer is extremely positive. First of all, the initiative is seen as a very unique and executive way to promote East-West business and additional synergies. At the same time, it is seen as a symbolic shake of hands across the Eurasian landmass defeating enormous distances. In other words, it is a call for a significant deepening in trade, for innovation sharing, and a call for further multilateral diplomacy and good will.

The China-Europe freight train is a manifestation of Spain’s active response to the BRI. It arrives in Spain with a range of up to 2,000 Chinese-made products (electronics, toys, clothing, suitcases, furniture) and returns loaded with ham, wine, oil, luxury items and industrial machinery. Undoubtedly Spanish entrepreneurs are bound to get more engaged since the BRI is clearly beneficial for bilateral and multilateral integration. During last year, BRI particularly impressed me thanks to its resilience., I mean during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the China-Europe freight train also became a “Health Express” (including not only trains, but also planes and ships).

At the beginning of the outbreak, Spain sent medical aid to China. On its turn, when Spain was overshadowed by the epidemic later, China sent us many more things such as nucleic acid kits, medical masks and protective clothing, which played an important role in Spanish fight against the virus.

Augusto Soto comments on China’s fight against COVID-19 and intercontinental health support in March 2021. (Photo: Courtesy of Augusto Soto)

BRP: In what areas do you think there could be potential for Spain to co-develop the BRI?

Augusto Soto: These days people in Spain and Europe, as well as in China are being vaccinated. I am convinced that from the perspective of science and public health, the EU and China should accept each other’s vaccines. That approval would add value to bilateral ties, level up BRI’s meaning and improve the synergies for global collaboration. We should have in mind that EU-China cooperation has potential to contribute to a stronger multipolar world whose tasks include public health and climate change understood as intertwined challenges.

Besides the China-Europe freight train, I believe there are additional potential areas of development for the BRI in Spain. For instance, maritime cooperation. There are large ports in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Valencia. Compared to Rotterdam in Netherlands and Hamburg in Germany, the two Spanish ports in southern Europe are closer to China. After the goods from China arrive in Barcelona or Valencia, they could be distributed by rail to other European countries, which is cost-efficient and more environmentally friendly than the North European ports. Besides, such a move could further promote the development of a more comprehensive European railway network. In such an enlarged potential context, perhaps in a non-distant future Spain could formally sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the joint construction of the BRI. Meanwhile, currently commercially we have been quite engaged in this initiative.

BRP: What progress has been made by both the Chinese and Spanish community in promoting better communication and understanding despite cultural differences?

Augusto Soto: Spain and China established diplomatic relations in 1973, and the cultural ties between the two countries can even be traced back to centuries earlier.

Language has always been the key bridge of intercultural communication. At present, there are more than 200,000 Chinese living in Spain and eight Confucius Institutes. Nearly 50,000 Spanish students are studying Chinese. In China, more and more people are learning Spanish as well. We should not forget that our language is spoken in America, including Latin America and the US. The Cervantes Institute, which is a non-profit official institution founded by Spain in 1991 to promote the teaching of Spanish, as well as Spanish-speaking culture, is also present in the main Chinese cities and actively supporting Chinese learners of Spanish and educational exchange between our countries. 

Since I teach at ESADE Business School in Barcelona and one of my courses is “The Emergence of China in the XXI Century”, including the intercultural dimension of our exchanges, I am well informed of the extremely positive progress of our bilateral ties over the last decades.

Once, Professor Javier Solana, once known as the “EU foreign minister” , for many years the chief of Europe’s diplomacy, a global citizen, and currently our most important colleague at ESADE, once shared with me the following thought. “These students of today here in ESADE, coming from Spain, Europe, China and the rest of the world will be the leaders of tomorrow, and we should feel conscious and honored about the fact that we are lecturing them now. Among them many will not only become political leaders and economic leaders, but also educators and journalists. And as leaders in different fields, these students will have an impact on their societies, in our bilateral ties and beyond.”

BRP: In the future, what could be done to promote better communication and understanding between Chinese and Spanish community?

Augusto Soto: In terms of promoting people-to-people bonds, there is potential for cooperation in the following areas.

Firstly, the tourism industry. It not only allows the Chinese to see the real Spain with all its diversity, but also allows the Spanish to see the real China with all its imposing magnitude. Perhaps some Chinese tourists would even think about the possibility of their children studying here after visiting us. Some Spanish tourists would have the idea of learning Chinese after their visit to China. Even the China-Europe freight train may develop new routes which specifically cater to tourists. It is a matter of time, once the pandemic is over.

Secondly, the film industry. There are many large film companies and excellent film professionals in both Spain and China. For example, if the love story of the Chinese writer San Mao (1943-1991), who was married to a Spaniard, is made into a movie, it will have an impact. Of course, not only love stories, but friendship stories, cultural travels,country sceneries along Eurasia’s routes (the very landscapes around the BRI), and the construction of some projects are all good themes. If there are more films on these fields, they will have an educational value for the current generation and next generation. Additionally, when people in the future need to learn from the bilateral past, they could refer to these historical materials.

Besides, the international media cooperation is important. People generate the perception of China and the rest of the world in accordance to what they receive from the media. I recommend Chinese media seeking more opportunities, such as setting up mechanisms for story exchange with global news agencies and investing more in international mass media.

The last one is football. Chinese athletes are amazing in several sports and have already reached the top. I believe that Chinese football is waiting for the opportunity. In this field it is more than clear that there are real possibilities for a unique kind of cooperation. For example, the famous Chinese football player, Wu Lei, joined the Espayol club in Barcelona in 2019. With his wonderful performance, more Spanish fans get attracted to his playing style as well as to Chinese culture, whereas Wu’s fans in China now follow Spanish football and surely one day will like to visit us.