Sánchez, on Xi Jinping: "Spain will work for strong relations between China and the EU."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is already meeting in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a meeting that comes amid a surge in trade tensions between the Asian giant and the US. Before entering, Sánchez made it clear to the Chinese president that Spain "is a deeply pro-European country that sees China as a partner of the European Union (EU)" and that he will work to foster "solid and balanced relations" between the European Union and Beijing. The Socialist is the first European leader to visit the Asian giant after Donald Trump halted his "reciprocal" tariffs but increased them to 125% in China.

Sánchez, who is seeking new markets in Asia, also emphasized that Spain's focus will always be "on developing mutually beneficial relations" between Beijing and Madrid. "We want to work on issues of common interest, promoting trade and investment in a balanced way so that they contribute to the development of our countries from our respective perspectives, and we want to foster rapprochement between our societies," he noted. In turn, Xi Jinping highlighted that this is the Spanish leader's third visit in three years, following those made in March 2023 and September of last year.

"Given the evolution of global changes, only through collaboration between countries can we work for peace and stability," he asserted within the framework of the meeting. He advanced, in this sense, that China "is willing to create a comprehensive strategic partnership with Spain." "The more turbulent and changing the international situation, the more important it will be to maintain a good and stable development of relations," he noted.

During the meeting with Xi, Sánchez is expected to address issues such as the trade imbalance, Chinese investments in Spain, the war in Ukraine, and the turbulent situation caused by the trade war initiated by Washington. After the meeting, the head of the Spanish government will appear at a press conference at the Spanish embassy in Beijing and will then meet with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, with whom he will preside over the signing of bilateral agreements..