Strong Investment Confidence: 97% of Chinese Firms Continue to Boost Presence in Spanish Market
According to the second edition of the “Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Spain: A 2026 Global Outlook” report, jointly released by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and KPMG Spain, the investment confidence of Chinese companies in the Spanish market has reached a new high. The report, based on a survey of 82 Chinese firms well-established in Spain and supplemented by in-depth interviews with 8 industry executives, draws a clear conclusion: despite global geopolitical volatility and rising trade protectionism, 97% of the surveyed companies explicitly stated they will maintain or further expand their business operations and investment scale in Spain by 2026. This data provides strong empirical support for the future of Sino-Spanish economic and trade relations.
Highlighted Strategic Value: Spain as a Key Pivot for Chinese Firms’ Global Layout
The report analysis points out that the preference of Chinese companies for Spain is based on multi-dimensional strategic considerations. Spain not only boasts a mature consumer market of nearly 50 million people but its unique geographical location also makes it a core hub for Chinese enterprises to reach Europe, connect with the Spanish-speaking markets of Latin America, and cover the Mediterranean trade network, offering the strategic value of “a single base for reaching wider markets.” Furthermore, Spain’s high quality of life, excellent infrastructure, and cultural openness significantly reduce the adaptation costs for Chinese companies operating across borders. In recent years, frequent high-level visits between the two countries have fostered open policy communication channels, creating a stable and predictable cooperation environment for businesses operating in Spain.
Structural Upgrade: New Energy Vehicles and Battery Industries Lead New Investment Wave
Chinese investment in Spain has shifted from earlier models to a more precise, high-tech orientation. Data shows that the energy, transport & logistics, and automotive & battery sectors have absorbed 44% of the total Chinese investment in Spain. Notably, the investment in the automotive and battery sector has reached 13%, a significant leap compared to 2023. Behind this trend is Spain’s policy push to develop a complete domestic electric vehicle industry chain, which perfectly complements the mature industrial capabilities of Chinese companies in vehicle manufacturing, power batteries, intelligent electronic controls, and energy storage technology. Bilateral cooperation is upgrading from traditional commodity trade to deeply integrated, full-chain industrial synergy.
Talent Demand Transformation: Spurring Local R&D and a Gap in High-End Positions
The rapid upgrade of the industrial structure has directly led to an urgent demand for a new type of talent. The report shows that 40% of the surveyed Chinese firms have already established local R&D teams in Spain, and 71% plan to expand local hiring in the coming year. The required positions are no longer limited to traditional sales or customer service roles but are increasingly extending to high-value-added positions such as technical R&D, full-cycle project management, and cross-cultural operations. This indicates that multi-skilled professionals with core technical skills (like electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, software development) and international collaboration capabilities (such as cross-cultural management, public relations coordination) have become the most sought-after core talent in the current phase of deep Sino-Spanish industrial integration. At the same time, this also reflects that Chinese companies are shifting from “testing the waters” to deep localization. 48% of the surveyed companies entered the Spanish market after 2020, often adopting heavy-asset models like establishing independent subsidiaries or M&As, committing to being long-term partners in the Spanish market.
