Alicante is becoming a new place where Chinese investors want to put their money. A group of businesspeople from Weihai, China, is visiting Alicante to look into ways to work together and possibly set up their factories in the province. The group is made up of people from the food, commerce, and construction industries. Luis Barcala, the mayor of Alicante, visited Weihai last September, when this trade partnership began.
Chinese businesses were interested in Alicante because they wanted to diversify their production strategy and improve their distribution networks in Europe. Barcala says that the city is recognised as an important hub for logistics, tourism, and the agri-food sectors. While they were there, the Chinese delegation met with about thirty local businesses and representatives from groups like CEV, Uepal, Jovempa, and Fepeval at the Las Atalayas business park to talk about possible ways to work together.
Their economic strategy used to be to recruit and capture manufacturers from throughout the world, but now they are focussing on moving to Europe and finding methods to settle there.
Barcala stressed how important this meeting was, saying that Alicante is becoming a key city for foreign companies that want to move their production because of the growing uncertainty in global markets caused by things like the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, and tariffs on international trade. Because of this, Chinese businesses are starting to change how they make things. They are choosing to set up shop outside of China to lower their risks. Barcala said, “Chinese businesspeople are very interested in finding partners in Alicante to move their production and set up shop in other countries.” He also said that this Chinese group would be back in March 2026.
A way to connect with the rest of the world
Barcala said, “Alicante was one of the cities we chose to visit Weihai because we have a lot in common in productive sectors like agriculture, food, and construction.” The mayor stressed that these kinds of meetings are not just meant to bring in money, but also to build strategic alliances that let Chinese businesses use Alicante’s infrastructure. Barcala said, “Until recently, their economic strategy was to attract and capture global producers. Now, they are focussing on relocating and looking for ways to establish themselves in Europe and other territories.”
A lot of Chinese businesses want to come to this city, especially those in the construction, renewable energy, and new technology fields.
Selena Chaolan Yan — Chamber of Commerce between Spain and China
Some Chinese companies that are interested are Huaxin Food Group, which processes seafood and seafood products; Essense Group, which makes and sells modular homes and prefabricated solutions; and Foshan Anmeijie, which is also in the construction industry and works on tourism projects.
Selena Chaolan Yan, secretary of the Spain-China Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Weihai City Council, said, “Many Chinese companies want to come to this city and see it for themselves, especially those in the renewable energy, construction, and new technology sectors. They want to work with Spain and China on international projects and have the chance to invest here.”
The mayor also talked about how things were becoming better in other areas, like the automobile and electric transportation industries. In this regard, a preliminary agreement was struck with Germán Agulló, a firm based in Alicante that specialises in recycling batteries. This could lead to a recycling factory in the city by 2026. Barcala ended by saying, “These meetings not only help us understand what Chinese businesspeople want, but they also create jobs and growth opportunities for the city.”
Managing resources and tourism
Chinese businesses are interested in Alicante not just because of its logistical benefits, but also because it has a lot of experience in important areas like tourism and water management. Barcala said that Chinese businesses, especially those from Weihai, a city of three million people that gets about 69 million internal tourists every year, were interested in Alicante’s international tourism management. “The fact that Weihai and Alicante are on the same latitude implies that they have a lot in common, especially when it comes to tourism. Barcala said, “They, like us, get a lot of domestic tourists, but they need to make room for more international visitors.”
Chinese entrepreneurs are also interested in Alicante’s experience with managing water. “Alicante is known around the world for how we handle a resource like water. Barcala said, “This first interest led to the interest in investing.”
Author: Derek Appleton
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