There are serious developments unfolding in Spain that are receiving far less attention than they deserve. Beneath the surface of investment deals and industrial partnerships lies a strategic shift that could undermine Europe’s industrial and resource landscape for years to come.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has in recent years cultivated closer ties with China, presenting them as pragmatic economic engagement. However, this approach leaves Spain more vulnerable and dependent on Beijing in key sectors such as energy, telecommunications and digital infrastructure. Chinese firms, including Huawei, already have a presence in Spain, and Huawei is also being embedded in Spain’s security infrastructure.
Chinese investment comes with long-term strategic implications, particularly in sectors tied to critical infrastructure and supply chains. The European Commission itself has pushed for “de-risking” from China, especially in areas such as technology and raw materials: Spain is going the opposite direction.
The opposition Partido Popular has repeatedly criticised the government’s approach to China, arguing that it prioritises short-term investment over long-term strategic autonomy. One of the most vocal critics has been Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who has publicly warned against deepening ties with China without clear safeguards.
Yet the most striking development is coming not from the socialist government, but from a conservative stronghold that has traditionally been dominated by the Partido Popular. In Galicia, regional president Alfonso Rueda is actively working to attract Chinese electric vehicle manufacturing to the region, including potential cooperation with Chinese automotive groups.
International reporting has already highlighted how Chinese car manufacturers are accelerating plans to expand into Europe, partly in response to EU anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese electric vehicles. Establishing factories within EU territory would allow them to sidestep trade barriers while embedding themselves directly into the European industrial ecosystem, and effectively enabling them to compete with European car-makers.
But Galicia adds another layer to this story — one that is largely being overlooked. The region is known to have significant deposits of critical raw materials, including lithium, which is essential for battery production. While mining activity remains relatively underdeveloped, geological surveys have pointed to massive untapped potential. This makes Galicia strategically valuable not just as a manufacturing hub, but as a possible future source of the raw materials that underpin the electric vehicle supply chain.
This is where the stakes rise dramatically. If Chinese industrial actors gain a foothold in regions rich in critical minerals, the implications go far beyond job creation or local investment. It raises questions about control over supply chains, long-term resource access, and Europe’s ability to maintain industrial sovereignty in key technologies.
Across the EU, there is growing concern about exactly this scenario. Policymakers in Brussels have warned that Europe risks becoming dependent on external powers not only for finished products, but also for the raw materials that feed its green transition. China already dominates large parts of the global lithium processing chain. Extending that influence into European territory would mark a significant strategic shift.
The situation in Galicia cannot be viewed as a regional development. While local authorities may see investment and growth, the broader picture suggests a far more complex and risky dynamic. What is unfolding is not simply the arrival of a new car factory. It is the gradual embedding of a China’s industrial ecosystem into a European region that could become critical for Europe’s future resource security. And that is why this is not just Spanish issue: it is a European one.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
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