https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Wu Lei's transfer to La Liga is "massive" for Chinese football, says a former international who made a similar journey 19 years ago and helped convince the forward to take the plunge in Europe. https://www.thelocal.es/20190311/wu-leis-spain-move-massive-says-chinas-beckham Mon, 11 Mar 2019 14:26:52 +0100 wu-leis-spain-move-massive-says-chinas-beckham Hundreds of Chinese citizens staged a rare protest Friday at an office of Spain's BBVA bank in Madrid, angrily denouncing that their personal accounts had been frozen without prior warning. https://www.thelocal.es/20190215/bbva-accused-of-racism-after-freezing-bank-accounts-of-chinese-clients Fri, 15 Feb 2019 15:55:54 +0100 bbva-accused-of-racism-after-freezing-bank-accounts-of-chinese-clients Any regular visitor to Madrid’s Puerta del Sol will be familiar with the sight of Minnie Mouse and Winnie the Pooh competing to be photographed with tourists in return for a tip. https://www.thelocal.es/20181130/pooh-banned-in-madrid-for-fear-of-offending-chinese-president Fri, 30 Nov 2018 11:49:46 +0100 pooh-banned-in-madrid-for-fear-of-offending-chinese-president Spain's top department store chain El Corte Ingles on Thursday announced a collaboration with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. https://www.thelocal.es/20181130/spanish-retail-giant-corte-ingles-strikes-deal-with-alibaba Fri, 30 Nov 2018 10:12:27 +0100 spanish-retail-giant-corte-ingles-strikes-deal-with-alibaba China, currently engaged in a trade war with the United States, is seeking to strengthen its ties with Spain and Portugal as other European Union members are trying to restrict Chinese investments. https://www.thelocal.es/20181128/china-seeks-allies-in-spain-and-portugal-despite-eu-reservations Wed, 28 Nov 2018 11:23:27 +0100 china-seeks-allies-in-spain-and-portugal-despite-eu-reservations Spain will not sign on to China's ambitious "One Belt, One Road" initiative that seeks to better link Asia and Europe, a senior government official said Tuesday ahead of a visit by President Xi Jinping. https://www.thelocal.es/20181127/spain-rejects-chinas-silk-road-plan Tue, 27 Nov 2018 18:59:10 +0100 spain-rejects-chinas-silk-road-plan Spanish authorities announced Thursday they have pressed charges against CaixaBank, the nation's third largest lender, for breaching money laundering laws by turning a blind eye to dubious transfers by Chinese companies. https://www.thelocal.es/20180420/spain-accuses-caixabank-of-laundering-chinese-money Fri, 20 Apr 2018 11:05:31 +0200 spain-accuses-caixabank-of-laundering-chinese-money Chinese investment fund Orient Hontai Capital has taken control of Mediapro, best known for owning television rights to the Spanish and Italian football leagues, the Spanish media group said Friday. https://www.thelocal.es/20180216/china-fund-takes-control-of-spanish-football-tv-rights-giant Fri, 16 Feb 2018 17:39:04 +0100 china-fund-takes-control-of-spanish-football-tv-rights-giant Troubled Chinese conglomerate Wanda has decided to sell its 17 percent stake in Spain's Atletico Madrid to Israeli group Quantum Pacific but will remain a sponsor, the football club announced Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.es/20180214/chinas-troubled-wanda-sells-stake-in-atletico-madrid Wed, 14 Feb 2018 15:53:50 +0100 chinas-troubled-wanda-sells-stake-in-atletico-madrid Chinese tourists are big spenders and with the numbers visiting Europe set to soar by nearly 70 percent over the next five years, the countries of the Old Continent are rolling out the red carpet to make the guests feel welcome. https://www.thelocal.es/20180120/europe-brings-on-charm-and-blue-skies-to-lure-chinese-tourists Sat, 20 Jan 2018 15:10:54 +0100 europe-brings-on-charm-and-blue-skies-to-lure-chinese-tourists The aroma is so extraordinary it's like "a punch in your mouth" says Luqi Wu, one of several Chinese businessmen standing in a cellar in southwestern Spain surrounded by thousands of hanging ham legs. https://www.thelocal.es/20170611/spains-jamon-conquers-china Sun, 11 Jun 2017 14:15:00 +0200 spains-jamon-conquers-china Chinese authorities destroyed 20 tonnes of oranges and lemons imported from Spain because they didn't have the right paperwork. https://www.thelocal.es/20160317/china-crushes-20-tonnes-of-spanish-oranges-and-its-not-to-make-juice Thu, 17 Mar 2016 13:55:49 +0100 china-crushes-20-tonnes-of-spanish-oranges-and-its-not-to-make-juice China on Thursday urged Spain to "safeguard the legal rights and interests" of employees of Chinese megabank ICBC, following their arrest by Spanish authorities on suspicion of laundering tens of millions euros. https://www.thelocal.es/20160218/spain-under-pressure-from-china-over-icbc-bank-probe Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:18:14 +0100 spain-under-pressure-from-china-over-icbc-bank-probe Spanish police on Wednesday searched the Madrid branch of China's biggest lender ICBC as part of a probe into suspected money laundering, smuggling and violation of workers' rights. https://www.thelocal.es/20160217/spanish-police-raid-chinese-bank-icbc-in-300m-fraud-probe Wed, 17 Feb 2016 13:16:51 +0100 spanish-police-raid-chinese-bank-icbc-in-300m-fraud-probe It is the de facto national dish of Spain, but according to the World Health Organization (WHO) jamón is as dangerous to one’s health as tobacco. https://www.thelocal.es/20151026/cancer-warning-issued-over-spanish-jamon Mon, 26 Oct 2015 17:38:53 +0100 cancer-warning-issued-over-spanish-jamon Chinese property giant Wanda is considering another big investment in Madrid worth billions of euros but will face strict conditions from the city's new left-wing council, a councillor said on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.es/20150626/chinese-property-giant-eyes-huge-madrid-investment Fri, 26 Jun 2015 10:55:49 +0200 chinese-property-giant-eyes-huge-madrid-investment China now has the second-largest wine-growing area in the world after Spain, pushing France into third place, according to figures released Monday by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. https://www.thelocal.es/20150427/china-overtakes-france-but-spain-reigns-in-vino Mon, 27 Apr 2015 17:58:30 +0200 china-overtakes-france-but-spain-reigns-in-vino Pig stomach, brain and intestines are just some of the swine parts sold to China, which has become the biggest importer of Spanish pork off-cuts. https://www.thelocal.es/20150305/porky-china-hogs-spanish-innards Thu, 05 Mar 2015 13:31:00 +0100 porky-china-hogs-spanish-innards The first freight train to link China directly to Spain arrived in Madrid on Tuesday after covering over 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) in a test run of a planned regular service between the two nations. https://www.thelocal.es/20141210/world-longest-train-arrives-in-madrid-china-spain Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:27:00 +0100 world-longest-train-arrives-in-madrid-china-spain China launched an 82-wagon cargo train on Tuesday which will take 21 days to travel 10,000km (6,200 miles) and pass through six other countries as it moves goods from the industrial city of Yiwu to the Spanish capital, Madrid. https://www.thelocal.es/20141119/china-rolls-out-its-first-freight-train-to-spain Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:17:00 +0100 china-rolls-out-its-first-freight-train-to-spain