Spanish PM urges China to help end wars, deepen ties

Pedro Sánchez used his fourth visit to China in four years to publicly ask Beijing for a bigger role in calming the wars in Ukraine and Iran, a signal that Spain is trying to carve out more room for Europe in a world shaped by both Washington and Beijing.

The Spanish prime minister’s trip, which runs from April 11 to 15, was made at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang and includes meetings with Xi Jinping, Li Qiang and Zhao Leji. Sánchez is also set to speak at Tsinghua University and visit Xiaomi headquarters and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a program that mixes geopolitics with industrial diplomacy.

His message landed at a sensitive moment. Reuters reported that Sánchez has been pushing a more independent China policy that has irritated Donald Trump, while Spain and much of the European Union are wrestling with how to deal with China without becoming more exposed to its industrial and trade power. Sánchez has argued that Europe must redouble its efforts, even as he presses China to take on more responsibility on climate change, security, defense and inequality.

Trade is the bluntest reason the outreach matters. Eurostat said the European Union exported €199.6 billion in goods to China in 2025 and imported €559.4 billion, leaving a €359.8 billion deficit. Reuters reported that Sánchez called the EU-China trade gap “unsustainable,” and another Reuters account said Spain’s trade deficit with China made up 74% of its total trade deficit. For Madrid and Brussels alike, the numbers point to a relationship that is too important to ignore and too lopsided to leave untouched.

Spain is looking for leverage through investment and access, not just political goodwill. Bloomberg said the talks were expected to include a High Quality Investment Agreement designed to encourage Chinese investment in Spain through technology transfer, local supplier contracts and job creation. La Moncloa has said Spain and China agreed in April 2025 to facilitate exports of Spanish products and adopted a new Action Plan to strengthen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The diplomatic thaw has been building. Chinese officials said Xi and Sánchez discussed maintaining sound and stable bilateral relations as the international situation grows more complex and volatile. King Felipe VI’s state visit to China in late 2025, the first by a Spanish monarch in 18 years, reinforced that shift. Sánchez’s new trip now places Spain at the center of Europe’s balancing act, seeking economic room with China while trying to keep faith with allies in Washington and a fragmenting multipolar order.