The Prime Minister of Spain welcomes LaLiga in Beijing

During his state visit to China, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, welcomed LaLiga in Beijing. Sergi Torrents, director of the China office since it opened in 2014, was LaLiga representative in the work meeting, where the Spanish Ambassador to China, Mr. Rafael Dezcallar de Mazarredo, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Mr. José Manuel Albares, were also present, together with fifteen of the most important Spanish companies in the country. In these nine years with a permanent presence in the region, LaLiga has become a key player in promoting the relations between China and Spain.

In fact, LaLiga is a founding member of the Spain-China Business Advisory Council, which was established in 2018 with the aim of being a leading platform at the disposal of both governments to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations, formed by the most significant companies from both countries.

“LaLiga's role in this work meeting is merely a demonstration of the good work that LaLiga has been doing for almost a decade in the country, being a relevant actor within the sports industry, a promoter of the development of local football and a ambassador for the Spanish brand,” explains Sergi Torrents.

As part of its internationalisation strategy, LaLiga opened its office in China in 2014, initially based in Beijing, although in 2016/17 it opened a new office in Shanghai, which is one of the first of the 11 international offices it currently has around the world.

During this time in China, LaLiga has signed agreements at the highest level with the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Kunming Government, the Chinese Football Association and the Chinese Super League to, among other things, promote the development of grassroots football and the professionalisation of the national league. A joint venture with Mediapro for the commercialisation of sponsorships and licences, SFCM, was founded. Created the first LaLiga fan club, and LaLiga Hope Cup, involving youth teams from LaLiga and the Chinese Super League.

And in these nine years, the first international eLaLiga in-person tournament was also launched in China, as well as the mini-program on Alipay, making it the first football league with an application on the popular Chinese platform. Moreover, 33 LaLiga clubs now have a social media presence in China, in addition to the five official LaLiga profiles, connecting with close to 9 million followers: Weibo, WeChat, Toutiao, Douyin and Bilibili. Projects that have placed LaLiga and its clubs at the forefront of the sports industry in China.