Reference News Network, February 8 report. According to EFE, on February 5, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Alvarez said that the Spanish government hopes to "go further" in its relations with China and is committed to institutionalizing bilateral relations through regular high-level exchanges, following the action plan for strengthening the partnership between the two countries from 2025 to 2028 within the framework of the new Asia-Pacific diplomatic strategy of the Spanish government.
The report mentioned that Alvarez noted that sources in the Prime Minister's office revealed that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez plans to visit China this year, which will be the fourth official visit to this Asian power since he became prime minister.
Alvarez also mentioned the visit by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain to China last year, as well as his own visit to China in 2025, stating that these efforts have had a very positive impact on the country's economic and trade interests.
Another report by Bloomberg News on February 5 stated that an informed source revealed that Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain plans to visit China.
The unnamed source said that Prime Minister Sanchez will lead a group of business leaders to visit China. This will be his fourth visit to China since 2023. King Felipe VI of Spain visited China in November of last year.
The report states that currently, Spain is seeking to become a major partner of China in Europe. However, the EU is seeking to reduce its reliance on China and build supply chains that do not depend on Chinese key raw materials. Sanchez's trip needs to carefully balance this.
The report pointed out that in 2025, shortly after former US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose tariffs on most countries, Sanchez held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In 2024, during his visit to Beijing, he even went against the EU's position and urged the EU to reassess its plan to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.
Sanchez has repeatedly called for the EU to independently establish guidelines for relations with China, avoiding aligning with the US stance. Spain is also increasingly becoming a recipient of large-scale investments from China.
According to the South China Morning Post website on February 4, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez will visit China later this year, as the tense relationship with the United States has prompted more European countries to reconsider their relationship with Beijing.
If it goes ahead, this will be the fourth time Sanchez has visited China in four years.
Miguel Otero-Iglesias, a senior analyst at the Royal Elcano Institute in Spain, said that Sanchez has previously suggested that visits to China should be an annual event.
He said: "(Sanchez) has previously said that he hopes to visit China every year... He believes China is important, and high-level exchanges are important to consolidate the bilateral relationship."
The report pointed out that Sanchez's last visit to China was in April 2025, making him the first European country leader to visit the Chinese capital since Trump launched a global tariff war.
Otero-Iglesias said that Spain's attitude towards China is very pragmatic, and the rise of China's manufacturing strength has also brought opportunities for Spain's service industry. "They realize that China's industrial capacity is now the best in the world; you must accept this. You cannot put your head in the sand and say no, no, I don't want it." (Translated by Su Jiawei, Xu Yanhong)
On January 22, a visitor consulted at the China Pavilion of the Madrid International Tourism Fair in Madrid, Spain. (Cheng Min photo)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7604403839202001423/
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