The factory in the city of Ferrol in northwestern Spain would be located a short distance from a military arsenal and would expose the movements of Spanish frigates to a “systemic rival,” according to military sources
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The Chinese car factory SAIC Motor has chosen the port of Ferrol to establish its first plant in Spain. There was a possibility for this project to materialize in Vigo or Gijón, but ultimately the Chinese closed an agreement to do it at the entrance of the estuary, a short distance from the military arsenal of Ferrol, a key port for the Navy, mooring and maintenance point for the F-100 Frigates and the Supply Ships C.
In addition, in that port, there is a shipyard Navantia, with a direct workforce of 1,885 employees and a total impact of 9,000 jobs in the area including auxiliary industry and value chain. It is in that strategic geographical area for the Spanish naval industry where China wants to manufacture vehicles and have their ships transit to take them to other points in Europe.
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In the military and security world, they only see drawbacks to this project … Spain runs the risk of the NATO and the European Union no longer considering Ferrol as a safe port. Because Chinese presence at the entrance of the estuary would expose a “systemic rival” - as the European Union defines the Asian giant - to almost daily knowledge of the movements of Spanish frigates and technologies.
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There are two types of ships that may interest those of Xi Jinping. On one hand, there are the F-100s, the missile-launching units of the Navy that act as escorts for other types of vessels - mainly aircraft carriers - and of which Spain has five operational: the Álvaro de Bazán, Almirante Juan de Borbón, Blas de Lezo, Méndez Núñez, and Cristóbal Colón.
All of them are based in Ferrol and participate in multinational missions of NATO.
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On the other hand, there are the frigates of the F-110 class. The F-110 frigate program, whose execution order was signed in 2019 and construction began three years later, contemplates the construction of five units for a total value of 4.325 billion euros. These are versatile escort ships, with anti-aircraft, anti-surface, and anti-submarine capabilities, and can operate in combination with other units.
The first of these frigates, the F-111 Bonifaz, achieved the milestone last May of starting two of its four diesel generators for the first time. If the Chinese factory is located at the entrance of the estuary, it could monitor the navigation test progress of the ships. Additionally, the presence of a Chinese factory could decrease the interest of potential foreign buyers, such as Portugal, Belgium, or the Netherlands.
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