Spain’s Pedro Sánchez Tours Xiaomi (小米) Campus in Beijing as Ties with China Deepen

Official visit and factory tour

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (佩德罗·桑切斯) arrived in Beijing this week for a five‑day state visit and paid a high‑profile visit to Xiaomi (小米)’s Beijing technology campus, Xinhua reported. Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun (雷军) personally greeted Sánchez and guided him through the company’s displays on smart phones, connected home devices and electric vehicles. It has been reported that Sánchez tried out Xiaomi’s YU7 model during the visit.

Xiaomi’s footprint in Spain

Xiaomi entered the Spanish market in 2017 — its foothold in western Europe and a key step in its globalization drive, according to state reporting. Xinhua said Xiaomi’s market share in Spain climbed quickly: roughly 10% in 2018, doubling in 2019 and stabilizing at about 30% by 2022. Canalys data show Xiaomi ranked as Spain’s best‑selling smartphone brand in Q2 2023, underscoring how Chinese consumer electronics firms have gained ground in major EU markets.

What it signals for China‑Europe tech ties

Why does a prime ministerial factory tour matter? Symbolically, it foregrounds commercial cooperation amid fraught geopolitics — from U.S. export controls on advanced chips to EU debates over investment screening and supply‑chain resilience. Sánchez’s visit highlights pragmatic economic engagement even as Western capitals weigh security and trade policy considerations. For European consumers and policymakers, the question remains: can deepening market links coexist with broader strategic concerns about technology dependence?