Spain can serve as gateway to LatAm for Chinese investments, says expert

MADRID - Spain can serve as a gateway to Latin America for Chinese investors, Carlos Sentis, CEO of consulting company Henkuai, has told Xinhua.

Also, Chinese investments can take advantage of Spain's market position within the European Union (EU), Sentis said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"Spain is a limited market, but it can open the doors of Latin America and, especially, it allows Chinese investors to position themselves in other countries of the European Union," Sentis said.

Right now, companies like Xiaomi and Oppo are entering Spain, investing and building teams to be able to develop the market, just as Huawei has done with enormous success, he said.

The CEO of Henkuai called on Spanish companies to follow China's current situation in order to find and offer the best investment opportunities in their businesses.

Sentis also revealed that although Chinese companies are not investing in some sectors, there are still "good opportunities" in Spain.

"They continue to be interested in at least the tourism sector or in areas such as industry," the Henkuai CEO explained.

In addition, Spain offers certain features one may not be able to find in other countries.

"It is important to understand that this is a country with a very important legal security. It is an attractive nation from many points of view, however, it is still not as important as it should be and the question is to see a bit how we can work on it to improve it," he said.

Sentis unveiled some key aspects that Spanish companies have to address to convince Chinese investors.

"I think it is essential to develop mutually beneficial relationships with them," he said. "We have to encourage Chinese delegations to come ... have a very close contact, first-hand information," he said.

The Henkuai CEO said it is necessary to work on bilateral relations in order to improve business opportunities between both countries.