// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Spain and China are cosying up - to the anger of many in the EU
Spain and China are cosying up - to the anger of many in the EU
On the streets of Barcelona, fiery red and gold Chinese dragons (presumably with very sweaty people inside the costumes) danced among delighted crowds, while Chinese acrobats elicited gasps of amazement as they rolled, tossed and threw spherical lanterns in the air, keeping - as if by magic - the candle inside them upright at all times.
Shanghai made history this week: the first Asian metropolis to be invited as the city of honour to Barcelona's famously rambunctious cultural festival, La Merce. Vast street processions here are overwhelmingly aimed at celebrating centuries-old Catalan traditions. So it was quite something to witness velvet-clad Catalan pipers, sashaying down Barcelona's main boulevards, their medieval tunes intermingling with lilting music that accompanied flocks of brightly dressed Chinese performers.
Shanghai Vice Mayor Lu Shan flew to Barcelona to speak at La Merce's opening ceremony. Chinese and Catalan cultural traditions differ in form, he remarked, but they share "a common spirit".
Spain and China are experiencing a period of mutual appreciation. But that sense of bonhomie is far from shared across the EU.
The traditional Chinese rolling lantern performance was part of La Merce's opening ceremony
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has visited China's President Xi Jinping four times in as many years. He's urged the EU as a whole to improve relations with China since Donald Trump's re-election two years ago.
Sanchez's move has sparked resentment and disapproval among a number of Spain's European partners who view Beijing as a strategic rival and possible geopolitical threat to the EU. Privately, they ask if Madrid's welcoming stance - opening up its market to Chinese businesses - is enabling China to become the (economic) enemy within the bloc too.
Pedro Sanchez is not the only EU leader going off piste. Global volatility means other EU countries feel squeezed and exposed and unsure they can rely on America under President Trump. His policy on trade and defence is seen as unpredictable and, at times, aggressive. And so EU member states are selecting strategic partners that they believe suit their national needs, even if that alienates or irritates fellow member states.
So do these new-found alliances risk a permanent splintering of unity in the EU or even Nato?