General Consulate of Spain in Beijing./ Photo: MAEC
The Diplomat. 15/03/2017
The Foreign Ministry is considering the possibility of opening in the locality of Chengdu its fifth Consulate General in the continental territory of China, according to information provided to The Diplomat by diplomatic sources.
Spain has consular delegations in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Canton. The city of Chengdu is the main economic and industrial hub of the west and centre of the Asian giant thanks to its diversified economy. The province’s growth rate was higher than the national average in 2016 (of 7.7% compared to the 6.5% and its GDP increased by 450,760 million dollars). Besides, Chengdu has the country’s fourth most important airport and it is building its second international airport.
At the moment, it hosts the consular offices of four countries of the EU -Germany, France, Poland and the Czech Republic-. The United States, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, India, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka also have consular presence there.
According to the aforementioned sources, Spain has a “limited” consular and diplomatic presence in China. Therefore, Chengdu would cover the provinces of the country’s centre and west. In parallel to the study of viability that the department of Alfonso Dastis is carrying out, the Secreriat of State for Trade -dependent on the Minister of Economy, Luis de Guindos- is considering to open a commercial office in the aforementioned city.
