Sánchez returns to China as Spain seeks deeper ties amid Iran war tensions

MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is in China again this week, his fourth trip in as many years to the world’s number two economy as Spain seeks to strengthen its political and commercial ties with Beijing.

Sánchez’s visit comes at a complex geopolitical moment as European leaders are trying to influence an end to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Meanwhile, Spain's relationship with the U.S. has been strained, most recently due to Sánchez’s vocal disapproval of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.

On Monday, Sánchez urged China to assume a bigger role in a multipolar world, speaking at Beijing’s Tsinghua University a day before he is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“For example, by demanding ... that international law be respected ​and that the conflicts in Lebanon, Iran, Gaza and the West Bank and Ukraine cease,” Sánchez ‌said.

Here’s what to know about the Spanish leader’s visit.

Sánchez is back in China, again

Spain says it wants to diversify its political relations with the world’s large powers, including Beijing.

Spanish officials have said the government wants to shore up more Chinese investment, and boost exports to the country, even though trade is conducted by the European Union, which negotiates on behalf of all 27 member states, including Spain.

The southern European nation, which generates more than half its electricity from renewable sources, needs Chinese critical raw materials, solar panels and green technologies — similar to other European countries transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Politically, the trip comes as Spain has stuck its neck out in Europe as the continent’s loudest critic of the U.S. and Israel's military actions in the Middle East, with the Sánchez government recently declaring its airspace closed to U.S. planes being used in Iran, and refusing the U.S. the use of jointly operated military bases in southern Spain.

“Given the increased frictions with the U.S. administration, these annual meetings have taken on an increased importance,” said Eric Sigmon, a Madrid-based political analyst and a former U.S. national security adviser, about Sánchez’s latest trip to China.

Sánchez is in China from April 13-15, and will hold talks Tuesday with Xi, Premier Li Qiang and China’s top lawmaker, Zhao Leji, the third-ranking leader of its ruling Communist Party.

Spain's relationship with China is better than some other EU nations

Spain, the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, has been less adversarial toward China than other EU countries in recent years. It has sought to reposition trade relations with China, whose exports to Spain are far greater than those of the Iberian nation of 49 million people to China, which has a population of more than 1.4 billion.

While Chinese investment in other large EU economies such as France and Germany has decreased over the past five years, according to the American Enterprise Institute think tank’s China Global Investment Tracker, it has grown since 2019 in Spain, though investment figures remain below several European countries.

Spain wants good ties with major global powers

As a mid-size political power, Spain under Sánchez has said it wants to seek stronger bilateral ties with the world’s large powers and economies, including China and, increasingly, India, in addition to its relationship with the U.S.

Last November, Spain’s King Felipe VI also made an official visit ‌to ⁠China, the first time in 18 years that a Spanish monarch did so, demonstrating the nation’s interest in bolstering ties with Beijing.

“The economic and commercial part of the relationship is the most important part. Spain needs foreign capital and it needs investment and it likely sees China as a potential source for that,” said Sigmon.

For China, Spain serves as a “a more friendly and conciliatory partner in Western Europe,” he said, adding that the asymmetry in the relationship means it may be difficult for Spain to get Chinese negotiators to cede much in terms of technology, or other areas that the Spanish government has expressed interest in.