CIIE 200 Days Countdown: Spanish businesses expect to increase sales in China's market

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Europe

02:39

Organizers of the import expo made Spain their first international stop on their promotional tours. And because of that, Spanish companies are expected to be well-represented. Many Spanish businesses already operate in China, and Chinese consumers are developing an appetite for some of the tasty treats the country produces. CGTN's Al Goodman brings us this report from Barcelona.

It's harder than it looks. A perfectly sharpened knife. An expert hand. Ever so thin, to give the best flavor. And, yes, a gourmet Serrano ham, for the Spanish pork industry association, this week attending an international food fair in Barcelona, called Alimentaria. A kind of warmup for representing the pork sector at the first China International Import Expo next November in Shanghai.

DANIEL DE MIGUEL INTERPORC SPAIN "They are trying to say that they are open-minded and they are open to making business. They are open to establishing new relationships with other countries."

Daniel de Miguel says Spain's pork industry group has been operating in China for a decade, but there's huge room for growth.

DANIEL DE MIGUEL INTERPORC SPAIN "Around 27 companies are approved for export to China but there are many other companies intended to export to China."

That's just a small part of the three thousand Spanish pork companies, he says. And demand for fine pork products in China is outpacing the appetite in Europe.

AL GOODMAN BARCELONA, SPAIN "Last January, the Expo that will be held in Shanghai next November went on an international road show to drum up support. And the very first stop was right here in Spain. Something China's ambassador to Spain says demonstrates China's commitment to Spain."

Far more Spanish sectors than just food will go to the Expo in Shanghai, Spanish officials say, including tourism, and a range of industrial and technological products. Spain's annual exports to China total about $7 billion dollars. And this Chinese woman from the Beijing area, who now lives in Madrid, will be going to Shanghai, too, to help represent Spain's pork sector.

YAO XINTING INTERPORC SPAIN "Really China and Spain are very good friends now, with a close governmental and economic relationship. And we are trying to take very safe food products to the Chinese market."

Here, it may be just a taste of the pork products at the Barcelona food fair. But the pork industry and many others in Spain, have an appetite for a bigger bite of the Chinese market, in the years to come. Al Goodman, CGTN, Barcelona.