Each country is aware that there are differences, because of their different mentalities. There are international guidelines and recommendations from the WHO and, at the end of the day, our common aim is the same: to fight against the virus and safeguard people’s health. After that, each country manages it in their own way. Even inside of China, while at state level migration flows are controlled, each residential community establishes its own rules for entering and leaving: some communities only let people in who have been previously registered, others issue permits in the form of a card with a photo and personal details, or there are communities who won’t let anyone in without a medical certificate.

It will be the subject for debate over the coming years. The crisis has demonstrated China’s importance, which accounts for 19.24% of the global economy, according to the latest figures from the World Bank. In other words, out of every five contributions, one comes from China. And then, there is the United States, which looks to be losing its leading role as the number one world power, although it has once again proven its influence regarding currency exchange rates, the price of oil and the key role of the Federal Reserve (FED).

This crisis could be a meeting point between the West and the East and help to reduce the knowledge gaps and misunderstandings between them. This meeting point could also serve as a place to reflect on the moral and political doctrines that exist in the world today, and, in Catalonia and Spain’s case, the role of the European Union.

This lesson reminds us that, as human beings, we are vulnerable to external threats (as opposed to the ones we pose to each other, which would be internal threats), and that will probably lead to an increase in healthcare spending, in relation to military spending, for example.

“This lesson reminds us that, as human beings, we are vulnerable to external threats”

I am currently working in the area of internationalisation, specifically of Spanish companies towards China. My main task is to respond to companies’ consultations regarding anything from how to enter the Chinese market to how to expand once they are inside China. I also undertake research for potential clients in specific regions or throughout China, depending on the company that contracts the service.

I’m certain that companies in general are increasingly open to the talent there is in other cultures; they have to be to expand internationally. And China is clearly the future for many companies, thanks to the high level of demand in this eastern country, as well as its role as one of the great powers. The two-hundred-year-long industrial revolution lasted just 40 years in China, and it has already begun its transition towards having an advanced economy, until another emerging country appears, which is more likely to be India than Brazil.

“China is clearly the future for many companies”

The Chinese have always had an appreciation for imported products and services, for example, consumer products like fashion, construction materials and ceramics, thanks to the prestige of architects and designers; then there is the tourism and Mediterranean gastronomy. Everything counts, and, little by little, there are many other things that are bringing us  closer together.

I am of Chinese origin, and have always been curious about my roots, which is why I decided to come over here and have this experience in China. I was in Shanghai first, and now I’m in Beijing.

When I first arrived in Catalonia, aged 12, I found it very hard to adapt, especially when it came to the language. But because I was still young and thanks to the friends I started to make I was able to overcome the suffering I felt as a child unable to communicate with others. During my teenage years I was always trying to balance the two educations I was receiving, the education from my parents and the education that helped me to grow outside of my home. It was a constant toing and froing between these two worlds, my maternal culture and the culture of where I was growing up.

And that was what I noticed was different about me, and what I decided I would use when my time at university came to an end: first I worked in the area of logistics, between China and Spain; then I contributed to the internationalisation of a jewellery company towards China, and vice versa, I helped a Chinese company expand to Spain; and now, from China, I am still connected with the area of internationalisation. That is why I hope one day to be a bridge for bilateral trade.

“I hope one day to be a bridge for bilateral trade.”

There is more understanding now, thanks to visitors to China and to the voices of migrants that arrive from China; all that has brought us closer together. Catalonia is closely connected with China thanks to the Olympic Games, Gaudí and the city of Barcelona, and there is also a Catalan community in China. At the end of the day we should be grateful to our history and believe that coming together makes us stronger. I hope that Europe leaves behind its ethnocentrism and eastern scepticism, changes its direction and accepts its independence from America, which has already done enough harm to this aging continent.

“I hope that Europe leaves behind its ethnocentrism and eastern scepticism”

It was an idea that came about eight years ago, based on an initiative of some students of Chinese origin that were at UPF at the time and their need to know what was happening at Pompeu. A girl called Qianwen created the friends group on the WeChat social network and we used that to add more students and Chinese graduates from UPF (second generation immigrants or students from China). I had the chance to meet a lot of people and help this group to grow, and now we have more than 500 Chinese students and alumni from UPF and its attached centers and this figure is on the rise.

The profile of the group members is very varied: there are new students who talk about University matters, UPF alumni and from the University attached centers (from degrees, masters and PhDs) who post job offers, or people who organise meet-ups to get to know one another. For example, when the coronavirus hit Spain it was a very active topic on the chat, which became a place for sharing information about confinement, travel cancellations, etc. It has also become a tool for finding people linked to UPF in China; it’s always good to know where people from Pompeu are.

“The group has become a tool for finding people linked to UPF in China; it’s always good to know where people from Pompeu are.”

Looking back, they were all good times really, like meeting up with friends in the campus bar, lunch on the grass outside building 13 and also the AIESEC student association, an organisation that opened me up to the world. There were also difficult times though, like the pressure of weekly assignments, preparing for final exams or exercises in macroeconomics or econometry that I could never work out.

I think Pompeu has always dedicated resources to promoting the University’s international recognition and prestige, whether through student exchanges, the Erasmus programme, the reception of international students and teaching staff or through its participation in academic calls and publications. The important thing is to open students’ minds so they can operate in this globalised world.

“The important thing is to open students’ minds so they can operate in this globalised world.”

I’m not thinking about coming back to Barcelona any time soon, because China is where the purchasing power and markets are today, and by living here I get all the information first hand. So I’ll be staying here a few more years yet and then we’ll see what I do later down the line. Anyone who is interested in China, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me; it’s always a pleasure to help.

“China is where the purchasing power and markets are today.”