A poultry, not paltry, deal gives Spanish farmers access to $135B Chinese market

China and Spain's commercial relationship continues to expand with Beijing further opening its massive market to Spanish poultry, following deals on pork and other agri-food products.

It's a huge boost for Spanish chicken producers with protocols agreed that will allow exports to China – the world's largest importer of chicken meat – a market worth $135 billion a year.

The export protocol agreement was signed by Spanish agriculture minister Luis Planas and Chinese Vice Minister Lyu Weihong, an agreement in the making since 2018.

Food security guaranteed

"This is wonderful news," Spanish Poultry Meat Association Secretary General Jordi Montfort told CGTN Europe.

"We've been looking for this agreement for many, many years. This new protocol will allow the Spanish poultry companies to export all kinds of poultry products, let's say turkey, quail or chicken, to China."

The European Commission insists the bloc has among the highest food safety standards in the world, and EU producers are using that as a selling point.

"The European production model," continued Ortiz, "it's a model where we guarantee food safety, food security, food quality, but also sustainability and animal welfare. And this gold standard for European production, in particular in Spain, is opening doors to the Chinese market."

In 2024, Spain's agri-food exports to China were valued at over two billion dollars after the country opened its markets to Spanish produce like pork, almonds, and cherries.

Good news too for Spain's rural communities too which are experiencing vanishing populations, known as 'España vacía,' or 'Empty Spain.'

"It's a big deal for our rural areas, in zones at risk of depopulation," said Rodrigo Pombar, Sales Manager, Plukon Spain.

"It will generate wealth and employment in places where this type of industry is essential to local communities."

'We don't want to play this game'

The diplomatic relationship between China and Spain has grown significantly in recent times, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visiting China three times in the last three years. On his most recent visit in early April Sanchez called for Europe to forge closer ties with Beijing, despite warnings from Washington.

In 2024 Spain bought over $50 billion dollars worth of Chinese goods, while only around $10 billion went the other way, and government sources estimate that China alone represents 70 percent of the country's total trade deficit.

Spanish officials, however, take a relaxed view on the deficit.

Jordi Ortiz is the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) Director with Accio, Catalonia's trade and investment body.

"We don't want to play this game, that we need to have a zero balance with every country, we know that a lot of what that we do here is services with tourists, if we add services and tourists into the game, probably the balance will be more equal, it will not be zero, but it be will be more equal."

China has also been investing heavily in Spain with over $10 billion flowing into projects from the Chinese EV maker Chery's factory in Barcelona to the $5 billion EV battery maker plant in Zaragoza, to $3 billion-plus investment in green hydrogen in the south of Spain from Chinese companies Hygreen and Envision.

The poultry deal is further evidence that China and Spain are working towards a more balanced trade relationship.