China on Pedro Sánchez's radar

XULIO RIOS

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is traveling to China again to meet with President Xi Jinping. This is his third visit in the last three years, a truly unusual development and a true reflection of the importance that the Spanish government places on its relationship with China, as an expression of a significant rebalancing of Spanish foreign policy based on the strategic interest of strengthening economic and diplomatic relations with Beijing.

Bilateral relationship

As the 2025th anniversary of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership approaches in XNUMX, the central assessment could well define the bilateral relationship as optimistic and constructive. It is well known that China is a trading partner whose significance has only grown, both in terms of overall volume and its importance for the vitality of key sectors of our economy (from olive oil to pork, among many others). Today, the automotive and sustainable mobility sectors, the tourism and cultural sectors, digitalization, and technology in general are areas in which collaboration can be further encouraged. In recent years, Spain, with one of the most buoyant economies in the eurozone, has attracted significant investments from China (Murcia, Zaragoza, Cáceres, Barcelona), to which other new agreements could now be added.

LThe ecological and digital transitions, priorities for the industry andSpanish yesEuropean, align with the orienttion general economy from China. Spain It can take advantage of its economic characteristics to explore commercial and industrial cooperation in this regard., encouraging cooperation in the most promising sectors.

This new visit by the Spanish president shows that Madrid is prepared and willingo to collaborate with China to deepen strategic mutual trust, promote exchanges y high-quality cooperation and promote the sound and stable development of relations bilateral. To make these claims viable, it is essential to expand and intensify communication and coordination, and the implementation of important and growing consensus reached between both leaders.

The European framework

Spain is a prominent player in the EU. President Sánchez is a leading figure in social democratic policies amid the rise of conservative and far-right forces. Recently, he has maintained a unique profile in the major EU debates, including the current one on defense investment, establishing himself as a key interlocutor that China appreciates when it comes to gauging support for a shared strategy to define new balances in key areas.

Therefore, the visit of the Spanish leader could contribute to the recovery isThe advancement of ties between China and the European Union, especially in a context of changing transatlantic dynamics and Europe's current economic challengesLast February, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told the Financial Times that "the EU should develop its own policy toward China and not imitate the confrontational stance of the US." Europe must retain the ability to decide for itself when China can be a partner and when a competitor, he added, without being swayed by inertia or, worse still, demands, which undermine the long-standing commitment to upholding a fair and equitable trade order.

China's position of support for Europe's presence in the negotiations on Ukraine's future is appreciated in Madrid. If the EU countries' disagreement with Washington, on this and other issues, deepens, Brussels must foster a new perspective on China that takes more into account specific European interests. Sánchez's trip should be interpreted in the context of this gradual and silent but notable strategic recalibration toward China, increasing the pace as these trends take hold.

In recent years, following the turning point already marked by the first Trump administration, EU relations with China have undergone a substantial hardening, despite the absence of any fundamental conflict of interests or insurmountable geopolitical contradictions. Indeed, China is currently a key natural partner for the EU on two key issues: trade and the environment. On the contrary, Washington is today, objectively, the main threat to EU policies on both crucial issues.

International geopolitical context

Sánchez has not spared criticism of the tariff policies and other measures of Donald Trump's new administration. This context is very important for assessing the progress of this third visit because it will contribute to consolidating the vitality of the set of principles (rejection of protectionism and defense of free trade, multilateralism, international law, stability of industrial and supply chains, commitment to the fight against climate change and for sustainability, etc.) that fuel Europe's disenchantment with the US and, in addition, strengthen the shared interest in consolidating stability in an extremely volatile environment. with changes in internal policies and external strategies under pressure.

A paradigmatic relationship

Sánchez isn't trying to steer Spain toward China to distance itself from Trump. He doesn't want to jeopardize the economic relationship with the US. However, it's clear that the Chinese market, in the ongoing geopolitical repositioning, will play an increasingly prominent role. And this isn't an approach that ignores principles; it's the agreement on basic principles that underpins the mutual interest in strengthening the relationship.

Thus, the Sino-Spanish relationship stands as a paradigmatic example, and for others, of how, despite systemic differences, values, and respective regional and international commitments, there is fertile ground for cooperation for the benefit of development.

Xulio Ríos is an emeritus advisor to the China Policy Observatory.