On the streets of Barcelona, fiery red and gold Chinese dragons (presumably with very sweaty people inside the costumes) danced among delighted crowds, while Chinese acrobats elicited gasps of amazement as they rolled, tossed and threw spherical lanterns in the air, keeping - as if by magic - the candle inside them upright at all times.
asserted
they → dance → times
Shanghai made history this week: the first Asian metropolis to be invited as the city of honour to Barcelona's famously rambunctious cultural festival, La Merce.
asserted
Shanghai → make → festival
Vast street processions here are overwhelmingly aimed at celebrating centuries-old Catalan traditions.
asserted
processions → aim → traditions
So it was quite something to witness velvet-clad Catalan pipers, sashaying down Barcelona's main boulevards, their medieval tunes intermingling with lilting music that accompanied flocks of brightly dressed Chinese performers.
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that → witness → performers
Shanghai Vice Mayor Lu Shan flew to Barcelona to speak at La Merce's opening ceremony.
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Shan → fly → ceremony
Chinese and Catalan cultural traditions differ in form, he remarked, but they share "a common spirit".
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they → differ → spirit
Spain and China are experiencing a period of mutual appreciation.
asserted
Spain → experience → appreciation
But that sense of bonhomie is far from shared across the EU.
asserted
sense → share → EU
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has visited China's President Xi Jinping four times in as many years.
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Sanchez → visit → years
He's urged the EU as a whole to improve relations with China since Donald Trump's re-election two years ago.
asserted
He → urge → election
Sanchez's move has sparked resentment and disapproval among a number of Spain's European partners who view Beijing as a strategic rival and possible geopolitical threat to the EU.
asserted
who → spark → EU
Privately, they ask if Madrid's welcoming stance - opening up its market to Chinese businesses - is enabling China to become the (economic) enemy within the bloc too.
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stance → ask → bloc
Pedro Sanchez is not the only EU leader going off piste.
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Sanchez → go → piste
Global volatility means other EU countries feel squeezed and exposed and unsure they can rely on America under President Trump.
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they → mean → Trump
His policy on trade and defence is seen as unpredictable and, at times, aggressive.
asserted
policy → see → times
And so EU member states are selecting strategic partners that they believe suit their national needs, even if that alienates or irritates fellow member states.
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that → select → states
So do these new-found alliances risk a permanent splintering of unity in the EU or even Nato?
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alliances → find → EU
Spain accused of self-interest
Germany and France - the EU's biggest powers - have just united around a more aggressive approach towards China.
asserted
Germany → accuse → China
They want to give Brussels the muscle to shut subsidised Chinese competitors out of the EU market to address ballooning trade imbalances with Beijing that the European Commission claims have reached a whopping €1bn (£850m) a day.
uncertain
Commission → want → 1bn
Other EU countries fret about China's tight relationship with Russia.
asserted
countries → fret → Russia
Beijing has denied helping Moscow's war effort in Ukraine but defence experts point to technological and economic support from China, which they say has enabled Russia to sustain its military assault.
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they → deny → assault
That's why, as Spain enthusiastically courts Beijing, it stands accused of looking after its own, rather than wider European interests.
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it → court → interests
"It's a bit chicken and egg. Did Spain distance itself from European allies, or did they distance themselves from us?
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they → distance → us
" asks Victor Cortizo, a lawyer and academic specialising in Sino-Spanish relations.
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Cortizo → ask → relations
"I think it's more us.
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it → think → ?
If I get closer to China because that attracts Chinese investment and bolsters my economy, then that is strategically more appealing than supporting allies who are also only looking out for themselves.
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who → get → themselves
Cortizo and I were surrounded by towers of crates as we spoke, at the end of the longest freight rail link in the world.
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we → surround → world
It runs over 13,000km (8,000 miles) between Yiwu in eastern China and Madrid, largely bringing car parts and electrical goods to Spain and transporting delicacies like Spanish ham and red wine back to China.
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It → run → China
The link is a symbol of the burgeoning relations between the two countries.
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link → burgeon → countries
"Our prime minister has made the decision to pursue national gain over EU relations," Cortizo told me.
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Cortizo → make → me
"Chinese investment in Spain has doubled over the last year alone.
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investment → double → year
According to ICEX Spain Trade and Investment, the Spanish government's trade and investment agency, Chinese investments in Spain are surging, driven in particular by investments in new battery gigafactories and car plants.
uncertain
investments → accord → gigafactories
Cortizo thinks Spain could become Beijing's preferred European country to invest in now that Hungary is no longer governed by pro-China Viktor Orban, under whom Hungary was dubbed "China's gateway into Europe".
uncertain
Hungary → think → Europe
"US investment is sinking and Chinese investment [is] rising in relevance here," Cortizo told me.
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Cortizo → sink → me
The US remains Spain's largest single foreign investor but net investment was down by around €1bn, according to Spain's Economy Ministry.
Spanish society now has a far more favourable attitude towards China than towards the US, its traditional ally.
uncertain
society → remain → US
According to a Pew Research Center poll published this summer, 54% of Spaniards said they had a favourable opinion of China compared to 30% who viewed the US favourably.
uncertain
who → accord → US
China makes it easy to trade, Cortizo told me, while the US (through Trump's tariffs and the effects of the war in Iran) has made it far harder.
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it → make → Iran
Meanwhile, Spaniards have seen the US president threatening their prime minister with economic sanctions when he doesn't agree to Donald Trump's demands to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP or allow US bases in Spain to be used as part of attacks on Iran.
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bases → see → Iran
That's why China is viewed by many in Spain as more reliable than the US.
asserted
China → view → US
And when the major Chinese car manufacturer Chery Automobile chose Spain for its first European manufacturing and operations hub two years ago, it breathed life back into then-defunct Spanish brand Ebro.
asserted
it → choose → Ebro
…and 51 more, not listed.
The Aporia
