We have to increase our trade and investment in China: Chairman of Spain's Friends of China Association

Antonio Miguel Carmona, chairman of Spain's Friends of China Association, sits down for an exclusive interview with People's Daily Online in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, June 11, 2025. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Qianbo)

China and the European Union (EU) have continuously boosted cooperation in economy and vocational education, deepening mutual trust, Antonio Miguel Carmona, chairman of Spain's Friends of China Association, told People's Daily Online during an exclusive interview on June 11, 2025 at the China-Europe International Conference on Vocational Education and High-skilled Talent Development held in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.

As the European Union and China celebrates 50 years of diplomatic ties, Carmona spoke highly of the fruitful cooperation between the two sides and expressed optimism for the future. "The future is more important. We have to increase our trade and investment in China," he added.

Discussing China's new quality productive forces, Carmona said it will be an opportunity for the EU to step up cooperation, including importing technology, training workers and exchanging talents. "The world is not a coin with two opposite sides. Chinese services are better and cheaper than those of Europe, which motivates enterprises in Europe to increase productivity," he said.

He also reflected on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on EU-China economic and educational collaboration. "AI is only a branch of the new technologies and DeepSeek is only a tip of the iceberg," he said, stressing that China and the EU should work in many fields of science and technology to promote exchanges and mutual learning, especially at the moment with "exponential growth of the technology and economy."

Carmona also highlighted people-to-people exchanges between China and Spain, welcoming more students to travel to and study in Spain to bridge cultural gaps and aligning vocational training with industry needs. "Universities (are waiting with) open arms to receive Chinese students," he expressed.

China and the EU are very important to the world, and have constantly played an active role for the stability of the world, Carmona noted. "We need a world for peace, for cooperation and for development."

(Zhang Heyun, as an intern, also contributed to this article.)