Barcelona and Shanghai have signed a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at deepening ties between the two port authorities, with a focus on alternative fuels, digitalisation and the development of a green shipping corridor between the Far East and the Mediterranean.

The agreement was signed during an institutional visit by a delegation from Shanghai to the Port of Barcelona. Signatories were José Alberto Carbonell, president of the Port of Barcelona; Xiao Hui, general director of the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission (SMTC); and Yang Zhiyong, vice president of Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG). The signing took place in the presence of Jaume Duch, regional minister for European Union and foreign action.

The agreement formally establishes a 'sister ports' relationship between the two ports and sets out cooperation across several areas, including the digitalisation and security of port operations, the development of green ports and alternative fuels, intermodality, and the promotion of sustainable maritime corridors.

The latest agreement builds on a preliminary accord signed in late July 2025 between the two port authorities. That was followed by a technical visit in September 2025, when a delegation from Shanghai — led by Wang Haijian, vice president and director of operations of SIPG — travelled to Barcelona to advance work on a Green Shipping and Digital Corridor between the two ports. That visit included working meetings on commercial and logistical exchanges between China and Europe, as well as a visit to the Ebro-Chery facilities in Barcelona’s Free Zone.

During the most recent visit, the Shanghai delegation toured the Autoterminal vehicle terminal, as part of ongoing work to establish the Green Shipping and Digital Corridor.

"This new institutional visit and the signing of the new agreement consolidates the Port of Barcelona's position as a Euro-Mediterranean logistics hub and strengthens its links with one of the main ports and economic centres in the world," the Spanish port authority said.