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Former Spanish ambassador to China addresses China's path towards knowledge society

Xinhua, June 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Former Spanish ambassador to China, Eugenio Bregolat Obiols, addressed on Thursday at the 2nd Iberoamerican Congress of Chinese Studies, China's path towards a knowledge society.

Bregolat explained that China was giving a lot of importance to research, education and investment in technology.

Bregolat, who has been Spanish ambassador to China three times, between 1987 and 1991, between 1999 and 2003 and between 2011 and 2013, pointed out that China has had education, research and technology among its priorities.

"Investment in R&D doubled between 2002 and 2015," he said, adding that "it grew by 800 percent in 13 years".

He also praised the work done on the high-speed train, "which is a model for other technologies" and an example of this investment in technology.

Another example is the large number of university students. "In 20 years 200 million of Chinese university students, especially engineers and scientists, will finish their degrees".

Bregolat explained that Spanish society in general did not realize the importance of the changes happening in the Asian country.

"The Spanish society in general is not aware of the true dimension of the changes happening in China and they are not paying all the attention they should to it," he said.

"China will continue producing but each time with better technology", he said. "This is the path we have ahead".

In this path towards knowledge there are several areas where Spain and China can cooperate.

"Areas such as gastronomy, tourism sector, investment or trade, the possibilities of cooperation are infinite," he said.

The 2nd Iberoamerican Congress of Chinese Studies is a two-day event held in the northeastern city of Barcelona. The first one washeld in 2012.

The event gathers important figures from Iberoamerica and China who share their expertise on issues in relation with Chinese studies.

The event was organized by the Confucius Institute of Barcelona Foundation and the Confucius Institutes from the Universidad Nacional de la Plata in Argentina and Universitat de Valencia in Spain. Endit