Pedro Sánchez’s official visit to China brought him face to face with Xi Jinping this afternoon. The two leaders, accompanied by their respective delegations, held a meeting marked by the trade war brewing between the European Union and the Asian giant over its electric cars. Spain – its pigs –, victim of pressure from the regime, reacted through the President of the Government by proposing mediation “in a constructive manner” between each other to “resolve disputes through negotiation in a spirit of dialogue and collaboration within multilateral frameworks”.
Sanchez’s proposal constitutes the latest expression of his ambitious efforts to gain a greater position in global geopolitics, already expressed in the face-to-face meeting with the Israeli prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu and the subsequent recognition of the State of Palestine. Thus, the president of the government lands in Beijing for the second time in just fifteen months with the aim of rectifying relations with the second world power in search of unshakable advantages. An insistence welcomed by the regime, which wants to obtain a Spanish “no” in the vote on customs tariffs currently underway in the European Commission.
“The current Spanish administration is seeking a positive agenda of collaboration with China“, explains Mario Esteban, senior researcher at the Royal Elcano Institute and professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid. “On the one hand, he understands that not all relations with China are negative, it is possible to have ties that benefit Spain, and he seeks them through a constructive narrative.”
“On the other hand, the current government is capable of directly exposing sensitive issues in major bilateral meetings with Chinese leaders,” emphasizes the expert, present this morning at the 9th Spain-China Forum inaugurated by the president.Spain is not conflictual in front of the gallery as in other countries, partly because there is no sensitivity or popular demand to be so firm. But when Sánchez came last year and said that the Ukraine issue was very serious and would determine relations with the EU, that was a message that Xi does not like to hear.
diplomatic flattery
The current situation presents a profusion of fronts, bilateral or global, military or allegorical, all urgent, and Sánchez showed solidity in his introductory comments to the Chinese leader. “The climate emergency, threats to peace, international stability, the fight against poverty and inequality, among others [desafíos] They can only be resolved jointly by all international actors. The influence of China and of you, President Xi, as a country committed to peace, is, I believe, fundamental in trying to resolve the conflicts that unfortunately affect the planet,” he noted, explicitly mentioning in Ukraine and Palestine.
“China plays a central role in the world, as does Europe, and Spain wants to work constructively so that relations between the two regions are closer, richer and more balanced because, I believe, this will lead to the profit and prosperity of our societies. And in this increasingly complex global geopolitical and economic context, as you have highlighted, we must work together to resolve disputes through negotiation in a spirit of dialogue and collaboration and within multilateral frameworks.
All this suggests a sophistication of the Spanish position, measured in the European spectrum but closer to the three-dimensional definition of the community – according to which China is “a partner for cooperation and negotiation”, an economic competitor and a systemic rival” – that of the Hungarian follow-up. Esteban welcomes this progress, even if he regrets that there is “more tactics than strategy”. “Decisions are oriented towards the values and interests of Spain, but they are often taken problem by problem without having a global vision of how this impacts our bilateral relationship and its trajectory.”
The list of agreements It looks as extensive as it is bland. “I am pleased that today we have signed agreements in multiple and very important areas, which reaffirm our bilateral commitment to work together on green development, trade, bilateral investments, initiatives for the promotion of culture, education and scientific research,” Sánchez stressed. outside.
Xi, for his part, extended a formal invitation to the kings to visit China in 2025. Earlier, he noted that “the two sides have maintained close exchanges, interactions at all levels and promoted high-quality cooperation in new areas,” stressing he “active role” on international issues in Sánchez’s Spain. In a race built on impossible bets, getting by in China would be a new step
