ADVERTISEMENTThe Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is in Beijing, his second judgment during a tour of two countries in Asia which ran into a backdrop of serious geopolitical tensions due to the tariff war of Donald Trump.
During his visit to Ho Chi Minh Ville in Vietnam on Wednesday, Sánchez praised the price like “a gateway to negotiation and the agreement between countries”, after Trump suspended the samples from most countries, with the exception of China, for 90 days.
Before his visit, the White House warned the Spanish government against contracting in Beijing.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that watching in China instead of the United States would be a “losing bet for Europeans” and would be like “cutting your own throat”.
Sánchez is the first European chief to make an official visit to China since the climbing of pricing tensions between the United States and the rest of the world.
Imbalance in Beijing
Trade levels between Spain and China continue to increase, but with an imbalance marked in favor of the Asian giant.
In 2024, Spanish imports from China exceeded 45 billion euros, while exports barely reached 7.4 billion euros, according to data from the Ministry of the Economy.
This places China as a fourth trading partner in Spain, its second largest provider of goods, but only the twelfth destination for Spanish exports.
“Only multilateralism and solidarity between nations can take up these types of world challenges. Spain defends a world with open doors. A world in which trade unites our people and makes them more prosperous,” said Sánchez in Vietnam.
Among the products that Spain buys from China are machines, textiles and consumer goods. In recent years, the importation of cars and motorcycles has also taken on importance.
Spanish companies mainly export chemicals, minerals and industrial components. China has established itself as the main Asian market for Spanish sales and more than 14,500 Spanish companies maintain trade relations with the country.
But bilateral investment figures are more balanced, although always modest.
In 2023, China allocated 131 million euros to projects in Spain, while Spanish investments in China reached 91 million euros.
Although the volumes are still small, the two savings have an increasing interest in strengthening links in strategic sectors such as technology, energy and logistics.
China comes to the defense of Sánchez
Asked about the criticism of the American secretary of the Treasury for the visit of Sánchez, the spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, replied firmly: “If we are talking about cutting his throat ”, it is precisely the United States that, by abusing prices to threaten and sing the whole world, try to remove the diapers from other countries, to give them to give their intimidation policy.
ADVERTISEMENTAt a press conference on Thursday, Lin also said that trade between Spain and China is important for both parties, the bilateral trade between the two countries exceeding 44 billion euros in 2024, while Spanish exports to China increased by 4.3% last year, according to Beijing figures.
Faced with Washington’s criticism, the Spanish socialist government defended the openings in China.
The Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas, insisted that Spain has excellent trade relations with China, which “we clearly want to continue, but also develop”.
