Sánchez is due to meet with President Xi Jinping on Friday during his third China trip in two years. He’ll be the first European Union leader in Beijing since President Donald Trump launched his barrage of tariffs on leading trading partners, notably China and the EU.
Sánchez says that what Trump is doing to global trade must push Europe to find alternative partners and new markets. That means changing its position toward China, but also Beijing revisiting its stance toward Europe.
Spain has tangible benefits from Chinese investments, in electric vehicles, batteries and solar power.
Elsewhere, much of Europe is warier of Beijing, joining US-led tech curbs and sharing concerns over threats against Taiwan. Worried at a flood of imports, the EU imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs last year.
Most pointedly, China’s alignment with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine is beyond the pale for many capitals. Madrid, a defense spending laggard, is about as far from the war as you can get on the European mainland.
Sánchez may have broken ranks with the EU as a whole, but Xi is bound to roll out the red carpet regardless.
As Trump continues to upend the world, Spain’s leader surely won’t be the last to make the trip to Beijing.
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