China, Spain eye deeper economic ties amid global trade challenges: expert

A Spanish industry leader emphasized the urgent need for stable trade relations with China to counter growing global trade instability fueled by rising tariffs at a time when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in China for his third trip in three years.

Javier Tora Mira, chairman of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in South China, denounced the protectionist measures and highlighted the importance of strong China-Spain economic ties in the current climate in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Friday,

"Tariffs and to put boundaries to international trade is not helpful for the global economy and for globalization. Tariffs will affect especially the consumers, consumers' pocket and economy, and also will affect a lot of SMEs, small-and-medium-sized enterprises. They will not be able to survive in this environment. Many workers will lose their jobs, and also, many companies will close," he said.

Spanish MP Sanchez landed in Beijing on Thursday for a two-day official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The Spanish PM's last two trips to the country occurred in September 2024 and March 2023, respectively.

Mira praised Sanchez's visit as a stabilizing force, noting that "I want our two leaders to work to give stability to the countries, especially our countries and the regions, Europe and Asia. And I think the Spanish (Prime Minister's) visit is positive because we will give more value to the commercial relationships between China and Spain."

Beyond navigating current global challenges, Mira outlined substantial opportunities for deeper collaboration between the countries.

"The potential is big because Spain not only has a good location in Europe, (but) as well as an entrance for Latin America and South America. But especially the areas we can cooperate, like Spain, is strong in food and beverages, olive oil, meat, wine, fruits, fashion, and technology. In research and development, we have a lot of scientists and investigators in Spain, leading many new technologies as well. China is very strong in new technologies, such as EVs or electric vehicles, green energies, robotics, electronics, etc. That's why I think the mix between the two countries can have a big potential," said Mira.

China, Spain eye deeper economic ties amid global trade challenges: expert

China's domestically developed T1200-grade ultra-high-strength carbon fiber holds broad application prospects in strategic emerging industries, according to its developer.

The country on Wednesday unveiled SYT80, a domestically developed T1200-grade ultra-high-strength carbon fiber, marking a major breakthrough in the China's high-performance carbon fiber technology.

This new material has achieved a hundred-tonne-level annual production capacity, making China the first nation to mass-produce this caliber of fiber, according to its developer, China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd. (CNBM).

Featuring lightweight and high-strength properties, the fiber's diameter is less than one-tenth that of a human hair, and yet its tensile strength is 10 times that of ordinary steel and its density is only one-quarter of steel's.

"Compared with the previous-generation T1100, T1200 has seen its tensile strength increase by more than 14 percent. With its ultimate lightweight and high-strength characteristics, T1200 can achieve weight reduction of over 10 percent for equipment in related fields. It holds broad application prospects in strategic emerging industries such as commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, and humanoid robots," said Chen Qiufei, head of T1200 ultra-high-strength carbon fiber research and development at Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber Company, a subsidiary of China National Building Material Group.

The new material also possesses many other outstanding properties.

As the fiber undergoes carbonization at nearly 2,000 degrees Celsius during production, its chemical properties remain stable and its corrosion resistance is excellent.

This fiber material also features strong fire and flame retardant properties, offering good safety performance.

The development of this fiber material demonstrates China's fully independent and controllable capabilities across the entire industrial chain of high-performance carbon fiber, spanning technologies and equipment as well as the transition from laboratory research to mass production, said Zhou Yuxian, chairman of CNBM.

China's high-strength carbon fiber shows strong potential in strategic emerging industries